Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo
Lawyer Victoria Bright has criticised suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo over her recent press conference.
According to her, the Chief Justice’s address gave the impression that she wanted the Ghanaian public to be the judge and jury in her ongoing case.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews on Saturday, June 28, 2025, she stated that Justice Torkornoo’s public commentary on the Article 146 proceedings meant to be conducted in camera could be seen as a breach of constitutional provisions.
“She went outside the sanctity of the proceedings and addressed Ghanaians…it sounded like she wanted to put her case before the public and have the public act as judge and jury. I’m not really in favour of that,” she said.
These comments come on the heels of a press briefing held by the suspended Chief Justice on June 25, 2025, where she criticised the secrecy surrounding the committee’s investigations of her, adding the process is being conducted “in the darkness of Adu Lodge”.
However, Bright, argued that the Chief Justice Torkornoo likely understood the risks of making public statements and her decision to proceed was influenced by frustration with an opaque nature of the proceedings.
“She’s the Chief Justice and she understands the law. So, she would have weighed the possibility of this happening and decided that, on balance, she preferred to come out and take the risk,” Bright explained.
“If she is cited [for contempt], then I guess she would have brought it on herself.”
While acknowledging the difficult nature of the Article 146 process, she maintained that it applies equally to all public officials and that the Chief Justice should not expect exceptional treatment.
“The ones who have been through it have all had to endure it. So, I don’t think there should be special treatment because Her Ladyship is the Chief Justice,” she said.
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