Prof. Kwaku Asare demands the removal of Gertrude Torkonoo as Chief Justice

Prof. Kwaku Asare, Democracy & Development Fellow at CDD-Ghana is demanding the removal of Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkonoo, from office.

He criticised the proposal by Chief Justice for her role in the appointment of some justices to the Supreme court of Ghana.

Reports indicated that the Chief Justice's letter to the President followed a discussion among Justice Torkornoo, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the Speaker of Parliament, Albert Bagbin, regarding the staffing challenges facing the apex court.

Upon receipt of the letter from the Chief Justice, the President, through his Executive Secretary, Nana Bediatuo Asante, wrote to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, and the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), seeking their input to assist the President in deciding on whether to accept the request from the Chief Justice to nominate five more justices to the Supreme Court.

Responding to the Chief Justice's proposal, Prof Asare said the Chief Justice's conduct is not backed by the constitution, adding that her proposal will also have dire implications on justice delivery in the country.

The appointment, the letter, the suggestion should not even have happened. One other problem is you write that to the President and the President says let me do it if the Chief Justice wants it, so that when I want something she can also do it for me and there are so many things wrong with this.

It really breaks my heart that Justice Torkornoo has found herself in this dilemma and it is with pain that I am saying she should be removed. But the constitution is the document that governs us and if you violate it, I am going to aggressively suggest that you should be removed, he said on JoyNews.

The Chief Justice proposed the appointment of Justices Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, Cyra Pamela Koranteng, Eric Kyei Baffour, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, and Angelina Mensah Homiah, all justices of the Appeal Court, to the Supreme Court.

Read Full Story