Gertrude Torkornoo has been suspended from office as the Chief Justice
Suspended Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, is set to address the nation today, Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
According to a report by Law Platform, Justice Torkornoo’s address is expected to focus on her suspension and the petitions filed by some Ghanaians seeking her removal from office.
The report adds that her address will take place at the Holiday Inn Hotel, with the media expected to cover and broadcast the event.
Her address comes on the back of the Supreme Court’s dismissal of her supplementary affidavit.
The court, in a unanimous decision on May 28, 2025, ruled that the supplementary affidavit disclosed information that, under Article 146 of the Constitution, is required to be kept in camera.
Accordingly, the court struck out the affidavit.
In her supplementary affidavit filed on May 26, 2025, Torkornoo alleged that her fundamental rights were being violated.
According to her, the committee ignored the pending court case and continued to schedule hearings.
She also claimed she was subjected to distressing conditions during her appearance before the committee, including being searched, having her electronic devices confiscated, and being denied entry alongside her spouse and children.
“Other developments, like the denial of access into the hearing room for my husband and children, searches on my body, denial of access to telephones and laptops for myself and my lawyers (even though counsel for petitioners have access to their phones and laptops), and the conduct of the hearing itself in a high-security zone at the premises of the Castle, Osu, show a deliberate effort to subject me to mental torture and degrading treatment in violation of my fundamental rights,” she stated.
Additionally, she raised concerns about the committee’s decision to permit third parties to testify on behalf of the petitioners rather than requiring the petitioners to present their own evidence.
Justice Torkornoo’s suspension was announced on April 22, 2025, following the establishment of a prima facie case based on three separate petitions alleging misconduct.
President John Dramani Mahama, acting in accordance with Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution and after consultations with the Council of State, constituted a five-member committee to investigate the matter.
MAG/BAI
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