Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has reacted to recent criticisms by Mr Gabby Otchere-Darko, a member of the ruling party over her picketing at the Finance Ministry.

Madam Sophia Akuffo last week joined the Pensioner Bondholders Forum to picket at the Finance Ministry to demand their exclusion in government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.

She described the Programme as wicked and unlawful while stating how government has been unfair to the aged.

“I find this wicked; I find it disrespectful; I find it unlawful; I find it totally wrong. Period. Because you don’t solve your problems by sacrificing your aged. That’s the last thing you should do especially when we don’t have any services that are specially geared at the comfort and the relief of the aged,” she said.

Reacting to her comments, Mr Otchere-Darko stated that the former Chief Justice failed to understand issues pertaining to the ongoing Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DEEP) before choosing the side of the pensioners.

He noted that some conditions have been reviewed. For instance, government reviewed its first position and settled on a 15% yield maturing in five years instead of the initial 15 years.

“For a former CJ to take up a noble cause such as she did but at such late hour when all was done and for all that publicity, she owed it to herself and her social standing to have understood the issues far better than what she exhibited last Friday. She is bigger than that,” Mr Otchere-Darko tweeted on February 12, 2023.

In a sharp rebuttal, Madam Sophia Akuffo stated that she would not spend time addressing concerns by the NPP stalwart since he is a disturbance.

"Gabby Otchere-Darko can call me paranoid. I don't care. We are talking about people, we are talking about human beings, we are talking about people who have served this country. I have served well and served hard, active service.

“He doesn’t decide for me what I need to do and what I don’t need to do, I don’t have time for things like that. People like that are not important to me or to my life, and he is a disturbance, that is all that I need to say to that,” she said.

"When you are not a member of government and you are calling yourself a member of government, so that is all I have got to say about this matter," Justice Sophia Akuffo added.

The Pensioner Bondholders Forum together with the former Chief Justice are back again at the Finance Ministry to rehash their demands.

Source: The Independent Ghana