Michael Donyina Mensah, CenPOA Executive Director
Executive Director of the Centre for Public Awareness and Opinion (CenPOA), Michael Donyina Mensah, has stated that although the attempts to remove Chief Justice Gertrude Esaaba Torkornoo are regrettable, they are necessary.
He asserted that the current Chief Justice has not discharged her duties in a fair and transparent manner.
Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Donyina Mensah stated that the three petitions submitted to the President for the removal of the Chief Justice are not surprising.
He opined that the petition to have her removed was long expected.
“The news we received about the three petitions submitted to the President for the removal of the Chief Justice was unsurprising.
“It has been long expected. There were rumours about these petitions, and so it is not surprising that the President has started consulting with the Council of State over this matter.”
He noted that it is also not surprising that no details were outlined in the statement issued on the matter.
Michael Donyina Mensah said it is regrettable that petitions have been filed for her removal.
“It should not be about individuals but about national development. We should not entertain this political agenda where every government wants to politicize every institution.”
He indicated that President Mahama has also promised a reset agenda, and as a civil society organization, they support the decision to have the current Chief Justice removed.
“The way she conducted herself was unethical. At some point, she denied some individuals justice. There were several ethical issues, and so we support the call for her removal.”
He advised President John Dramani Mahama to consider appointing somebody without any political agenda or political interests.
He suggested appointing a new Chief Justice who has Ghana’s interest at heart and is prepared to transform or reset the judiciary.
“President John Dramani Mahama’s reset agenda should help change anything that is against Ghana’s development and growth. The reset means that any bad trend must be reversed, and so we support her removal.
“Truth be told, the Chief Justice did not work in the national interest. But our appeal is that the President must replace her with someone who loves Ghana, is patriotic, and not someone with any political affiliation. If that does not happen, the same cycle will continue, and a new government will remove the person.”
When asked if he saw the Chief Justice as someone who is politically inclined, he said, “Even if she is not, her actions and attitude portrayed her as such. The way she handled some cases painted a picture of her being selective.
“Under her watch, cases that the previous government had a keen interest in were expedited, whereas cases that were against the government were intentionally delayed. So, this alone made her appeal political.
“These are part of the reasons why petitions have been presented to the President to remove her from office.”