Gertrude Torkornoo has been suspended from her position as Chief Justice
Embattled Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkornoo faced intense criticism from a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy, over a statement she made concerning former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Torkornoo described former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as Ghana’s foremost lawyer.
According to her, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, both in his days as a lawyer and during his tenure as president, had been a staunch advocate for justice and a consistent supporter of the judiciary.
However, her remarks drew sharp criticism from Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy, who, in a cynical response, condemned both her statement and the perceived partiality it suggested.
Read the article originally published on GhanaWeb on May 16, 2024
A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy, has criticised the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, over her statement that “Akufo-Addo’s belief in the rule of law has been evident during his tenure as President.”
Dr Kennedy, in a statement published by Accra-based Adom FM, said that Chief Justice Torkornoo’s assertion is far from the truth.
According to him, the then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has done more damage to the justice delivery system in Ghana than even the late former President, John Evans Atta-Mills.
“To complete the cynicism, the CJ told an audience of women lawyers that NADAA’s ‘belief in the rule of law has been evident during his tenure as President.’
“Really, Madam? I never thought I would say this, but President NADAA’s government has been more damaging to our Judiciary than the government of President Rawlings,” he wrote.
The leading NPP member made these remarks while criticising the decision of the Chief Justice to change the composition of the Supreme Court panel hearing an appeal on the case of the former Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Dr Stephen Opuni.
He said that the action of Justice Torkornoo fuels assertions that the courts are biased towards the government.
What the Chief Justice said about Akufo-Addo:
Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has described then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as Ghana’s foremost lawyer.
According to her, Akufo-Addo, in his days as a lawyer and now as president, has been a champion of justice, adding that he has also actively supported the judiciary since becoming president.
“We appreciate the strong support we have received from the Office of the President. The culmination of this support is the presence of His Excellency with us this morning,” she said in remarks at the opening of a conference in Accra on May 13.
The event was the inauguration of the 2024 Africa Conference of the International Association of Women Judges.
The conference, themed “The Role of Women Judges in Combating Negative Cultural Practices in Contemporary Times,” provided a forum for discussing crucial issues of gender equality and judicial activism.
“His Excellency is a lawyer and champion of justice, and his name is definitively etched in the legal history of this country as the most distinguished legal practitioner.
“His belief in the rule of law has been evident during his tenure as president, and the judicial service of Ghana has been a beneficiary of the exceptional level of physical and technological infrastructure during this period,” the CJ added.
MAG/VPO
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