Political analyst and lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, Dr Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, has likened the ongoing legal tussle over the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo to a World Cup tournament, describing it as the legal equivalent of the global football spectacle.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV, monitored by GhanaWeb on Thursday, May 22, 2025, Dr Zaato praised the calibre of legal professionals involved in the case and its broader implications for Ghana’s legal framework.
“Some of the best legal brains in the country are battling it out, it’s like a World Cup, the legal equivalent of a World Cup in Ghana,” he stated.
He emphasised that the case would leave a lasting imprint on Ghana’s legal system.
“It helps improve our legal jurisprudence. The rulings, both for and against, will go into the records,” he noted.
Dr Zaato also addressed the growing public perception of political bias within the judiciary.
He referenced former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, arguing that Dame’s success in court appeared more prominent when he held public office.
“When he was in power, the argument was that Godfred Dame was winning so many cases; whenever he went to court, he won. But when he was in private practice, he wasn’t winning that many cases. Today, Godfred Dame is losing almost all the cases,” he said.
He clarified, however, that the current Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has yet to secure convictions in the cases he has initiated but has achieved success in procedural matters.
“The Attorney General hasn’t won any case yet. He has only filed charges. So far, almost every case that has gone to the Supreme Court about this injunction, he’s won all of them,” he stated.
Dr Zaato concluded by commending Chief Justice Torkornoo for standing firm in defense of judicial independence.
“I’m happy the Chief Justice is fighting to the end. She’s not going down without a fight. I hope that at the end of the day, as a country and as individuals, we learn something from this, and we learn a lot,” he added.
Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, challenging her suspension by President John Dramani Mahama.
The suit, filed by her lawyer and former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, seeks a declaration that both her suspension and the ongoing impeachment process are unconstitutional and should be declared null and void.
Torkornoo is also requesting an order to set aside her suspension and for the court to direct that proceedings on the petitions against her be conducted in public rather than in camera.
Additionally, she has filed an interlocutory injunction to halt the impeachment process pending a final decision on her lawsuit.
Among the reliefs sought, the Chief Justice is also challenging the eligibility of Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang to serve on the investigative committee, arguing that he has previously ruled in favor of one of the petitioners, Daniel Ofori, thereby raising concerns of perceived bias.
Her legal action came just hours after the Supreme Court dismissed two separate interlocutory injunction applications filed by the Centre for Citizenship, Constitutional and Electoral Systems (CenCES) and private citizen Theodore Kofi Atta-Quartey.
Both sought to halt the impeachment process pending resolution of their constitutional challenges.
In a 4-1 majority ruling, a five-member Supreme Court panel led by Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie dismissed the applications as lacking merit. Justices Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, and Henry Anthony Kwofie joined the majority, while Justice Yaw Darko Asare dissented.
This brings to three the number of dismissed applications seeking to stop the impeachment process, including an earlier one filed by Old Tafo MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah, which was rejected in a 3-2 decision.
In her writ, Chief Justice Torkornoo argued that the prima facie determination made by President Mahama, in consultation with the Council of State, was unconstitutional.
She described the process as quasi-judicial, requiring a reasoned and judicious evaluation, one she contends was not followed.
She is urging the Supreme Court to declare her suspension and the composition of the investigative committee unconstitutional and void.
Background
Chief Justice Torkornoo was suspended by President Mahama following the establishment of a prima facie case against her. The President subsequently set up a five-member committee to inquire into the petitions, in accordance with Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution.
JKB/MA
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