Suspended Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo
Michael Donyina Mensah, Executive Director of the Centre for Public Opinion and Awareness (CenPOA), says the suspended Chief Justice does not deserve to be reinstated.
He argued that any attempt to reinstate her would harm the judiciary.
Mensah claimed that if Justice Gertrude Torkornoo returned to her position, she would victimise judicial staff, which is why she should remain suspended.
He made these remarks in response to a statement issued by the Bar Council of England and Wales and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association.
The two legal bodies had called on President John Dramani Mahama and the executive branch of government to immediately reinstate the suspended Chief Justice, Justice Torkornoo.
They argued that Ghana, as a country with a strong tradition of upholding the rule of law, should not undermine her fundamental rights, and expressed concern over her suspension on April 22, 2025.
But Donyina Mensah insisted that the two groups had no standing to make such a demand of a sovereign state like Ghana, whose constitution provides clear legal processes.
“In fact, this is a condemnable statement from the two bodies,” Mensah said. “They have every right to react or comment on the issue.
“However, they cannot tell a sovereign state like Ghana to reinstate a suspended Chief Justice with immediate effect. We have Parliament, the Constitution of Ghana, and other institutions that have not commented on the matter, so what makes them think they can issue such a statement?”
He challenged the groups to point to just one law that President Mahama had broken since the removal process began.
“If they can point to a single law breached, we will support their call for Justice Torkornoo’s reinstatement,” he declared.
He further asked, “Are they telling us a Chief Justice can never be removed from office? The framers of the Constitution knew a day like this would come, which is why they created this provision.”
Appearing on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he asserted that Madam Torkornoo’s conduct after her suspension only reinforced the perception that she did not deserve the position.
According to him, Madam Torkornoo has refused to respond directly to the legal provisions guiding the removal process, choosing instead to focus on peripheral arguments driven by emotion.
“The critical point is that we all know what has happened. I have no sympathy for her,” he said. “She first claimed she was being removed because she is a woman, then later alleged that those who petitioned the president had not registered their organisation.
“She is not acting within the law because she knows President Mahama has followed it to the letter. I don’t think she will resume her position because she incited her colleagues to rally behind her, but she received no support.
“Imagine if she were asked to return to work—the possibility of her victimising her colleagues are very real. It would be better for her to be removed from office than to resume work.
“If she returns, the damage she could cause would be worse than before because she would act out of personal vendetta, having made it clear that she has scores to settle within the Ghanaian legal system.”
Mensah concluded by telling host Kwabena Agyapong that the suspended Chief Justice would preserve more dignity if she chose to step away rather than struggle within the system.
