Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo has affirmed judicial independence in Ghana, emphasizing that her decisions as the head of Ghana’s judiciary are guided solely by the law, not political or public pressures.
Speaking at a public forum, the Chief Justice addressed concerns about judicial integrity and competence, stating, “No matter how many noises are made, the law is the law. And the only answer one can give to all the hand waving is the legal answer, unless we want something else.”
Her remarks come at a time when the judiciary has been under intense scrutiny, particularly from political actors and civil society groups.
While she did not explicitly mention any political party, her statement is widely interpreted as a response to criticisms from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its leadership, including President John Mahama, over past judicial rulings and the petition to remove her from the position.
In the immediate past, the judiciary has faced allegations of bias, with the NDC accusing the courts of delivering decisions that favour the then New Patriotic Party (NPP)-ruling establishment.
Chief Justice Torkonoo, however, dismissed any suggestions that her judgments are influenced by external forces, asserting, “Simply no decision that I have made in my role as Chief Justice or in my capacity as President of a panel of the Supreme Court has come from anything but a knowledge of law.”
She stressed that Ghanaian society expects fairness and legal consistency from the judiciary rather than decisions influenced by public pressure or political expectations.
“I am quite sure that Ghana as a society is not looking for chief justices that bend and give them something other than law. And therefore, here I am, everyone gets the law,” she declared.
