Judicial Crisis Deepens as Ghana’s Chief Justice Challenges Removal Process

Suspended Chief Justice of Ghana, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, has firmly stated that she will not resign or retire while proceedings to remove her from office are still ongoing. Speaking in Accra on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, she described the process as illegal, unfair, and damaging to Ghana’s democratic integrity.

Justice Torkornoo, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2019 and became Chief Justice in June 2023, has been suspended following three separate petitions. The petitions accuse her of misconduct related to judicial rulings, administrative decisions, and alleged misuse of travel funds, allegations she denies.

Her suspension was made official on April 22, 2025, after President John Dramani Mahama, acting under Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution, found a prima facie case and consulted the Council of State. A five-member committee was then set up to investigate the claims. Members include Supreme Court Justices Gabriel Scott Pwamang (Chair) and Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu.

Torkornoo strongly opposes the process, calling it “cruel treatment” and unconstitutional. “Resigning or retiring is not an option, once the suspension claims and process has begun,” she said. She added that doing so would mean giving up her right to defend herself against what she calls “false claims” and losing her benefits.

“If I resign under these circumstances, I will be saying that this flawed, unknown and opaque process is acceptable. It is not,” she stated.

Justice Torkornoo also criticized how the process has been handled. She described being subjected to unjustified searches, having her electronic devices seized, and being separated from her family during closed-door hearings at Osu Castle, which she referred to as “psychological intimidation.”

She emphasized that this issue is not just personal but has wider implications for all public officers. “The current bizarre proceedings… present a twist to our nation’s democratic journey that we all ignore at our own cost,” she warned.

Torkornoo has filed for an injunction at the Supreme Court, hoping to halt the committee’s work, which she believes violates her rights.