President John Mahama don suspend di chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo as im set up committee to investigate allegations against her.
Inside one statement from di presidency, tok tok pesin Felix Kwakye Ofosu explain say dis na afta di council of state bin find say she get questions to answer afta three pipo file petition against her.
“Di president don establish one committee according to di constitution in consultation wit di council of state say make dem investigate dis three petitions wey some pipo don file,” di statement tok.
Dis na afta di CJ bin write to di president say im wan see di petitions and write im response.
Na so di president give Gertrude Torkornoo 10 days to write her response even though di constitution no tok say make dem allow di CJ to write response to di petition unless afta di council of state determine ‘prima facie’ case against her.
Days afta di CJ bin submit im response to di president and di council of state, di president don take dis decision to set up di committee to investigate her.
Details of di three petitions no dey public; di law also provide say make dem hear di mata behind closed doors.
But di grounds wey go fit make dem remove di chief justice na “misconduct and stated misbehaviour” according to Ghana law.
Di five members of di committee wey di president don select go invite di CJ make she respond to di allegations.
Di five-member team wey go investigate di CJ
– Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, Justice of di Supreme Court – chairman
– Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu- Justice of di Supreme Court – member
– Daniel Yao Domelevo (former auditor general) – member
– Major Flora Bazwaanura Dalugo (Ghana armed forces) – member
– Professor James Sefah Dzisah (associate professor, university of Ghana) – member
Sabi pipo bin tok bifor say make di chief Justice step aside as dem dey investigate her
Some pipo tok say make she resign by herself or make di president suspend am.
Na so one former director for di Ghana school of law, oga Kwaku Ansa-Asare tok say per di law, di president get to suspend di chief Justice afta di committee find ‘prima facie’ case against her.
“Di moment di president set up di committee, e mean say im get to suspend di chief Justice wey I tink say na fair tin.”
Im explain say “to allow di CJ continue for her post during di investigation go affect di process.”
“As di committee bin dey investigate di mata, di chief Justice no fit to continue at post, odawise im go fit interfere for di case, na so she for step aside,” oga Ansa-Asare tok.
Sabi pipo meanwhile dey warn say make di president no abuse di process; dem tok say di only reason why dem fit to suspend di CJ na wen di petition wey pipo don file against di CJ get merit.
But now wey di president bin set di committee, di next step na to begin di investigation proper as dem suspend her.
Di chief justice survive one petition to remove her before
On 17 December 2024, one law professor bin petition di president at di time, Nana Akufo-Addo say make im sack di chief justice.
According to Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, di chief justice don “misconduct herserf wia she also be incompetent.”
Di petitioner bin tok say e dey necessary to remove di chief justice to “preserve di integrity and public confidence for di kontris judicial system.”
But wetin be some of di reasons why im wan make di president sack di CJ?
– Professor Asare say di time wey di CJ bin write letter to di president say make im appoint five appeal court judges to di Supreme Court without consulting di judicial council, she breach di law.
Di petitioner tok say dis decision by di CJ “don amount to misconduct and incompetence.”
Im also accuse di chief justice say she dey interfere wit “duly constituted panels for some cases without explanation.”
But di day bifor dem go swear-in John Mahama as president, Nana Akufo-Addo bin dismiss di petition to sack di chief justice.
Di president add say, “di pesin submit di petition without supporting evidence.”
“Di allegation say di chief justice reconstitute panels and oda breaches no get beta evidence wey di petitioner fail to provide any factual basis for dis claim,” oga Eugene Arhin bin tok for di statement.
Di presidency also bin explain say “wetin di CJ do for im administrative function na consistent wit di law and established practices.”
Na so di president throway di petition at di time on 6 January 2024.
Bifor di 17 December petition, some sabi pipo bin tok dis mata say dem for comot di CJ.
Chief justice defence in 2024
During one women leadership conference for Accra on 15 November 2024, Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo explain how she dey kamkpe despite say pipo dey chook mouth for her matter.
“Pipo bin dey tok say oh you don try, you dey hold body for dis kasala, how you dey do am. But I bin realise say wetin hold me down na di assurance of competence.”
CJ Torkonoo add say, “I neva take any decision as chief justice or president of di panel of di Supreme Court wey neva dey according to di knowledge of law.”
“No matter di noise wey pipo dey make, di law na di law, and di only answer I fit to give for all dis wahala na di legal answer, unless we dey want sometin else,” di chief justice tok for di conference dat day.
Since di fourth republic in 1993, many pipo don file petition say make dem sack various chief justices till now.
But none of dis petition bin succeed; sake of either di president or head of state at di time no gree sake of di evidence against dis judges no be enough or di case against dis pipo no get merit.
Edward Kwame Wiredu, George Kingsley Acquah, Georgina Theodora Wood, Sophia Akuffo and Kwasi Annin Yeboah all bin face petition but none of dem succeed.
Wetin be di process to remove di chief Justice
According to Ghana constitution, to remove di chief Justice, di process dey clear.
Someone gaet to write petition to di president to explain why dem suppose sack di chief Justice.
Afta dem write di petition, dis na di tins wey get to happun.
– Afta di president don receive dis petition for di removal of di CJ, im go refer di petition to di council of state, wia dem for determine if ‘prima facie’ case dey against di CJ; dis dey mean say di council get to determine if di CJ get questions to answer.
– If di council of state confam say di CJ get case to answer, di president togeda wit di council of state, go appoint one committee wey get two Supreme Court judges; one of dem go be di chairman of di committee, togeda wit three oda pipo wey no be members of di council of state or members of parliament or lawyers.
– Di president go act on di advise of di council of state and sign one warrant to suspend di chief Justice bifor di committee go begin to investigate am. Di CJ no fit to still dey carry out im work as dem dey investigate am.
– Dis committee go chook mouth for di petition (s) wia dem go invite di chief Justice to hear im side of di tori and answer di allegations for di petition.
– Di hearings for dis committee meetings go dey ‘behind closed doors’ without cameras.
– Afta di committee don finish dia work, dem go present dia finding and recommendation to di president.
– Di president get to act on di recommendation by di committee, if di committee tok say make im sack di CJ, im get no choice, if di committee tok say dem no find anytin against di CJ, na so e go be.