Coalition of political parties to demonstrate against suspension of Chief Justice today

A coalition of political parties, led by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) be demonstrating today, Monday, May 5, against the suspension of Gertrude Torkornoo.

The demonstration is led by the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

In their view, the suspension of the Chief Justice and the petitions against her are politically motivated and an attack on judicial independence.

The Director of Communications of the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah, in a post on his X page said, “save the judiciary from President John Dramani and the NDC attacks… This is Article 21 Demo.

“It is about the survival of the rule of law and general fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of the press and other media… The media must see that its survival is linked to this cause.”

President John Mahama received flak for the suspension of the Chief Justice from the Ghana Bar Association (GBA).

The GBA described the action of the President as unconstitutional due to the absence of legal backing for the exercise of presidential discretion.

The GBA had said that any discretionary powers exercised under Article 296 of the 1992 Constitution must be regulated by law to prevent abuse and ensure transparency.

“Subject to exercise discretion under article 296, they ought to have been made regulations like a constitutional instrument before exercising such discretion because the essence is to govern, how it is exercised so that it doesn’t get abused,” the Public Relations Officer of the GBA, Saviour Kudze, explained.

He added that members of the GBA, during a meeting held on Saturday, April 26, were unanimous in their view that the President had acted outside the bounds of the Constitution.

“That is all we are saying, that in the absence of that regulation, the membership at the meeting on Saturday were of the view that the President had not done well because he had acted unconstitutionally because no constitutional instrument had been passed before he exercised the discretion,” Kudze stated.

This strong stance follows an official GBA statement dated April 26, in which the Association called for the immediate reversal of the Chief Justice’s suspension.

The GBA maintained that while the Constitution allows for presidential discretion under Article 146(10), it must be guided by clear regulations to ensure lawful and fair application.

 

 

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