Suspended Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo has filed a suit at the Supreme Court to oppose attempts to remove her from office.
Justice Gertrude Torkornoo through her lawyer, Godfred Dame filed the suit on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 praying the Apex Court to grant her 16 reliefs which she is seeking.
Among the reliefs, Justice Torkonoo wants the court to declare the prima facie case established against her as “arbitrary, capricious, unconstitutional, void and of no effect.”
She is also seeking a declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of articles 17(1) and (2), 19(13) and (14), 146(7) and (8), 281(1) and 295(1) of the Constitution, a Chief Justice has the right to a public hearing in proceedings before a committee appointed by the President to inquire into a petition presented for the removal of the Chief Justice.
Gertrude Torkornoo wants the Supreme Court to declare that her suspension together with the prima facie cast established against her “constitute an unjustified attempt to remove the Plaintiff as Head of Ghana’s Judiciary and thus, an undue infringement on the independence of the Judiciary.”
Also, she is praying for a declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of articles 17(1) and (2), 19(13) and (14), 23, 146(7) and (8), 281 (1) and 295(1) of the Constitution, the right of a Chief Justice to a public hearing and all the incidents of a fair hearing may only be excluded in the interest of public morality, public safety, or public order.
Torkornoo further seeks an order restraining the committee set up by the President to inquire into the three petitions against the Chief Justice composed of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th , 5th and 6th defendants from proceeding to carry out the terms of reference of the committee set up under article 146(6).
The suit names the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu, Daniel Yao Domelovo and other members of the Committee as defendants in the case.
The suit by the Chief Justice comes after the Supreme Court, by a 4-1 majority decision on Wednesday, May 21 dismissed an application filed by the Centre for Citizenship, Constitutional and Electoral Systems (CenCES) seeking to halt the impeachment process initiated by President John Mahama against Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo.
Gertrude Torkornoo has also filed an interlocutory injunction at the Supreme Court seeking to halt the work of the five-member committee established by President Mahama to inquire into the three petitions against her removal from office.
In the suit filed on May 21, 2025, and sighted by 3News, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo is praying the court for an order to restrain the Committee from taking any action in connection with the prima facie case determined against her.
Gertrude Torkonoo also wants the court to restrain Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang and Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu from participating in the proceedings of the Committee established to inquire into the petitions against her.
3news
