Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo
The Minority in Parliament has called for the immediate reinstatement of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, who was recently suspended by President John Dramani Mahama.
At a press conference, Second Deputy Minority Whip Jerry Ahmed Shaib criticised the President’s action, describing it as unconstitutional and politically motivated.
He argued that the suspension undermines due process, particularly given that legal challenges to the removal process are still pending.
“The Minority in Parliament unequivocally condemns President John Dramani Mahama’s reckless and unconstitutional decision to suspend Her Ladyship, Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo under the purported authority of Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution,” Shaib said.
“This brazen action constitutes nothing less than a judicial coup, a flagrant abuse of executive power, and a direct assault on the independence of Ghana’s judiciary.”
He further accused the government of seeking to exert political control over the judiciary by removing judges perceived as unsympathetic to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“This move reeks of political vendetta, judicial intimidation, and calculated efforts to pack the courts with NDC-sympathetic judges,” he added.
The Minority maintained that the suspension was not about promoting accountability, but rather about consolidating political influence within the judiciary.
Shaib referenced President Mahama’s recent remarks in Akosombo, where he allegedly pledged to “balance the judiciary” by appointing partisan-aligned judges, as evidence of the administration’s intentions.
“This is not judicial reform — it is tyranny in plain sight,” Shaib said, describing the suspension as a “coup d’état” against the judiciary.
The Minority stressed its commitment to defending justice, constitutionalism, and the independence of the judiciary, and vowed to resist what it described as an attempt to erode Ghana’s democratic institutions.
AM/KA
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