Wetin some pipo describe as fight between di judiciary and di executive for Ghana don heat up ova di last few days.
Dis na afta goment tok tok pesin announce say three pipo don file separate petitions to di president say make im sack di chief justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
Inside one statement, tok tok pesin oga Felix Kwakye Ofosu tok say “di president don forward di three petitions to di council of state to begin consultation process as di constitution tok for article 146.”
Dis don already begin to cause kasala among di citizens – as some pipo dey support di fact say make dem sack di chief justice sake of “stated misbehaviour and incompetence,” odas say make di present no sack am.
But between wen di president go receive petition to remove di chief justice and when di process go end, fit take many months.
So far details for dis three petitions no dey public as some sabi pipo argue say to publish dis petition for media fit to affect di process wia e fit to “undermine di trust and image of di Supreme Court.”
But dis no be di first time di chief justice Gertrude Torkornoo don dey face petition to remove am.
Di chief justice survive don 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 5 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 new president 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 Richard 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.
Pressure don mount on top di president around July 2024 say make im sack justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
Dis na afta im write letter to di president say make im appoint 5 specific judges of di court of appeal to di Supreme Court.
Di CJ explain for dat letter to di president say make im appoint dis judges sake of di court get overload of cases.
Already at di time, Ghana bin get fifteen Supreme Court judges, wia di five new judges go make di total number twenty.
Meanwhile according to di kontri constitution, di minimum number of Supreme Court judges gatz be nine including di Chief Justice, per article 128 (1).
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 di conference dat day.
Wetin di law tok about removal of chief justice
To sack chief justice for Ghana, di constitution (article 146) provide di process wia di mata gat to go through.
First, di president go receive petition from any citizen of di kontri – wey get reason why dem gat to remove di CJ.
Afta di president receive dis petition, im go consult di council of state wia dem go check if wetin dem call “prima facie” dey for di mata or not
Prima facie na di establishment of case of wrongdoing for any mata.
If dem no find dis prima facie case against di chief justice; or if dem find say di CJ no get any case to answer, na so di president go dismiss di petition.
If di council of state find say prima facie case dey, or dem find say di CJ per di petition, get questions to answer, dem go form one committee to hear di mata.
Dis committee go get two Supreme Court judges and three oda pipo wey no be members of di council of state, wey no be MPs, wey no be lawyers, na so dem go investigate di mata.
Wetin di committee go find for dia investigation; dem go present to di recommendation to di president.
Di president gat to stand by wetin dis committee go recommend.
If dem find say di evidence against di CJ no dey strong, dem go advise di president say make im dismiss di petition.
But if dem establish and confam say di CJ dey involve for wrongdoing, dem go recommend to di president say make im sack am.
Oda chief justices wey pipo don file petition for dia sacking
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.
.In 2002, one Francis Dzanku Assase Kofi file petition say make dey remove di CJ Edward Kwame Wiredu sake of
– im lie under oath about im date of birth
– deceive parliament during im vetting so say im go extend im tenure as CJ
– im commit perjury as im provide fale informate to public officer
Dis petition neva succeed.
In 2006, anoda pesin Bright Akwetey bin petition den President John Kufour say make im sack chief justice George Kingsley Acquah sake of
– judicial interference (im don tok judges how make dem rule on specific cases)
– abuse of office (im misuse im authority for judicial matters
– im victimize judges
Dis petition also neva succeed.
Between 2007 – 2017, two pipo file petition say make dem sack di chief justice Georgina Theodora Wood.
Di first petitioner na “citizens of La – home and abroad.
Dem tok say make di president comot di CJ sake of “im no handle land cases wey relate to di pipo of Ga-Dangme proper.”
Dem tok say di CJ no handle di matter “fairly.”
Di second petitioner na Ernest Lartey wey tok say make dem remove di CJ sake of wetin im tok say “na stated misbehaviour.”
Dis two petitions also bin dey dismissed.
.For 2018, one pressure group ASEPA bin petition president Akufo -Addo to remove CJ Sophia Akuffo.
Di petitioner oga Mensah Thompson tok say di CJ dey “incompetent.”
Na so dat petition also dey dismissed.
For 2021, di same pressure group ASEPA bin file anoda petition say make dem remove chief justice Kwasi Annin Yeboah ova allegations say im collect $5m bribe from one lawyer wey im case bin dey di Supreme Court.
Dis petition also bin dey dismissed afta di committee tok say dem no establish any “prima facie” against di CJ.
Di chief justice write to president Mahama
Inside one letter wia di chief justice write to di president, she ask for copies of di petitions against her.
She tok say she wan see di petitions and respond to di allegations bifor di council of state go establish whether prima facie case dey or not.
Inside di letter on 27 March, justice Gertrude Torkornoo tok say “I bin dey humbly ask di president and di council of state say make dem forward di petitions to me and give me at least 7 days to respond.”
“Dis response go form part of di material wey una go use to do di consultation bifor una go set up committee of inquiry for dis matter,” she tok.
As di chief justice bin dey request for di petition for one side, two oda pipo don carry di matter to court.
Why di two pipo carry di removal of di CJ matter to court
One member of Parliament oga Vincent Assafuah bin sue di kontri attorney general for di Supreme Court.
Im don dey challenge di constitutional process wey involve di removal of di chief justice.
For dis suit, oga Vincent Assafuah tok say di president gat to notify di chief justice about any petition against dem bifor im go refer am to di council of state.
Im tok inside di suits say “to fail to notify di CJ about any petition against dem, don dey amount to interference wit di independence of di judiciary.”
“Dis fair life affect di fundamental rights to fair hearing as article 23 and 296 bin dey tok, wia dis go make di consultation process by di council of state, null, void and of no effect.”
Anoda pesin, oga Ebenezer Osei-Wusu bin also take legal action against di president and di council of state to halt di process to remove di chief justice.
Inside im suit, di plaintiff tok say di president don “overstep im authority when im forward di three petitions for remove di chief justice, to di council of state.”
According to oga Osei-Wusu, di president first gat to determine di prima facie case against di chief justice and to provide di CJ wit copies of di petition bifor im go refere to di council of state.
Di plaintiff among oda tins wan make di Supreme Court “set aside di decision of di president to consult wit di council of state on top di three petitions against di CJ.”
Since di goment tok tok pesin bin announce say dem forward three petitions for di removal of di CJ to di council of state, many pipo bin dey tok dia own
Sabi pipo explain say di president neva do anything wrong say im forward di petition to di council of state.
One ogbonge lawyer Thaddeus Sory bin chook mouth for dis wahala.
Im tok say make pipo no interfere for di process.
“If di constitution tok say wia di petition na for di removal of di chief justice, di president gat to act in consultation wit di council of state, how dis tin na unconstitutional as di president bin refer di petitions to di council of state.?”
Im argue say for one case Agyei-Twun v Attorney general & Akwetey, di Supreme Court rule say “prima facie gat to first be established against di chief justice bifor dem go set up committee to investigate di petition.”
“But for dat case, di court neva specify how dem gat to determine di prima facie case, but wetin dey certain na for di president to act in consultation wit di council of state.”
As all dis legal wahala dey happun, pipo dey wait to see how tins go end.
Di chief justice gat to select di panel wey go hear di injunction application against di process to remove her.
Sabi pipo say dis na conflict of interest, dem want make she recuse herserf or make she bin resign altogether.
Whether di Supreme Court on 2 April go give order say make di President stop di process for di removal of di CJ or not, time go tell.
For di meantime, di council of state already don begin dia consultation ova di three petitions for di removal of her ladyship justice Gertrude Torkonoo.
ASEPA bin petition president Akufo-Addo to sack CJ Sophia Akuffo in 2018 but dat petition neva succeed
Di chief justice bin survive one attempt to remove her in 2024
Former president Akufo-Addo bin throway di first petition to remove di chief justice Gertrude Torkonoo on 6 January 2025
Since di fourth republic, none of di petitions to remove di kontris chief justice bin succeed
Dem petition di former president Akufo-Addo to sack CJ Kwasi Anin Yeboah in 2021 ova allegation of bribery but dat petition also neva succeed