For the first time since her suspension, Ghana’s Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo spoke in public today, June 25, 2025, citing three primary reasons for speaking out as the process to remove her from office moves forward.
“The removal process that I am involved in as Chief Justice is historic; in all of Ghana’s 68-year history as an independent Republic, there has never been a hearing for the removal of the Chief Justice,” she stated.
“Every step of the removal process being undertaken against me is being done in a manner that breaks every rule on how justice is delivered in the country,” the Chief Justice said, expressing unhappiness with the way the process is being handled.
She cautioned that the manner in which the processes are being carried out may jeopardize the nation’s legal framework.
The institutional repercussions were the subject of her second justification.
“Though I am in the process alone, its effects ripple far beyond me as a person,” she stated.
She pointed out that the decision might have an impact on future removals of judges at all levels, including the Supreme Court and the High Court, as well as heads of independent constitutional bodies.
The protective objective of Article 146 of the Constitution, which specifies stringent grounds and processes for the removal of certain public officers, was emphasized by C.J. Torkornoo.
The Auditor-General, the head of the Electoral Commission, the CHRAJ, and judges of the higher courts are among the posts that are impacted by this clause, she said, adding that the Constitution’s founders intended to protect these positions from political meddling.
She cited “the troubling violations of the Constitution and illegality of the proceedings” from the beginning as the third reason for her speech.
She disclosed that she had petitioned the Supreme Court to have the sessions in public instead of behind closed doors.
“I asked for a public hearing because I know that the secrecy of the proceedings for removing judges was not created in the Constitution to be used as a cover-up for any agenda,” she stated.
Additionally, she pointed out that the petitions’ concerns “had been discussed extensively in the media before the hearings began” and were not sensitive public interest or national security problems.
Background
Chief Justice Torkornoo was suspended earlier this year after petitions were filed with the President. She was appointed in June 2023.
It is thought that the petitions against her include accusations about her actions while in office.
A committee to look into the allegations was formed as a result of her suspension, which set off a constitutional procedure under Article 146.
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Source: newsthemegh.com