Kofi Bentil (L) says the law stops President Mahama (M) until suits by Torkornoo (L) are ruled
Private legal practitioner, Kofi Bentil, has asserted that President John Dramani Mahama cannot appoint a new Chief Justice, following the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
According to him, there are at least four suits challenging the removal of Justice Torkornoo, which must be adjudicated before the president can appoint a new head of judiciary.
He asserted that the president would be breaking the law if he appointed a new Chief Justice before the ongoing legal challenges are determined by the courts.
Torkornoo goes to court to challenge her removal as Supreme Court Justice
“I have heard people saying that there should be a new appointment of a CJ (Chief Justice) … It is wrong. When you have legal processes ongoing, the parties must all be heard. You can’t break the law in trying to fulfil the law.
“The proper thing for us to do, is for all citizens to insist that the president does what is respectful and subject to the law, to the effect that the processes must be exhausted,” he argued in an interview with TV3 on September 19, 2025.
Bentil, who is a vice president of IMANI Africa, also backed the former Chief Justice Torkornoo’s challenge of her removal in court.
The ‘sins’ of sacked Chief Justice Torkornoo
He asserted that Justice Torkornoo has every right to explore all the avenues left to challenge her removal and could be retained if she wins the suits she has filed.
“It is important to know that she is attacking procedure. I keep saying that you may think that, why is she doing this … it is good for us, whether she wins or she loses. It is good for us to exhaust the process.
“And please, let us all learn this fact: if you are in public office and you are wrongly removed, you have a right to be reinstated. These are all principles. When we state these principles, we don’t state them because of a particular personality,” he said.
Watch a video of his comments below:
“It is wrong to suggest that President Mahama should appoint a new Chief Justice if the processes have not been exhausted.” – Lawyer Kofi Bentil#TV3GH #TV3NewDay pic.twitter.com/Fv9AsblpGf
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) September 18, 2025
BAI/VPO
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