Latest news with #GertrudeTorkornoo
Bloomberg
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Ghana's Suspended Top Judge Goes to Ecowas Court, Citi FM Says
Ghana's suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has asked a regional court to intervene as the country continues a probe into petitions seeking her removal, Citi FM reported. Torkornoo filed an application at the Ecowas Community Court of Justice, the Accra-based radio broadcaster said, citing Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem-Sai.
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
I no go resign - Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo tackle Ghana govment over 'unfair hearing'
Di Chief Justice wia Ghana president don suspend don speak out for di first time since dem begin impeachment processes against her. Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, wey be chief Justice since 2023, chop suspension afta at least three separate pipo file petition to president John Mahama say make dem remove am from office. Di president afta im receive di three petitions forward dem to di council of state wia suppose study di petition and determine whether she gat case to answer based on dis allegations for di petitions. Na so di council advise di president say di CJ get cases to answer wia president Mahama sign warrant to suspend her from office. Di president also set up five-member committee say make dem investigate di petitions and hear di side of di chief Justice. Afta di committee finish dia hearings, dem go recommend whether di allegations dey strong enough to remove her from office or not. Since di committee begin to dey hear di matter on 15 May 2025, di suspended chief Justice and oda lawmakers don carry di case go di supreme court say make dem stop di process and declare am illegal. But di Supreme Court for all di five cases, don dismiss di mata wia dem tok say di 5-member panel neva do anytin wrong so far for di impeachment process. Goment bin tok say dem only dey follow di constitution wia don provide di process to remove chief Justice and oda commissioners. Di law tok say di panel hearings gatz dey behind closed doors but since di beginning, some of di tins don leak. Na so goment warn di suspended chief Justice say make she no leak di content of di petition wia di president don send give her to respond. But inside supplementary affidavit wia di suspended chief Justice don file for di Supreme Court, di CJ tok say di 5-member panel don dey abuse her rights na so she wan make di court stop di process. Di Supreme Court bin dismiss her affidavit by majority decision say she dey carry tins wey dey happun behind closed doors for di panel into di public, against di law. Afta more than one month of di panel hearing, di suspended chief Justice don address press conference wey she tok say di whole process na "staged tin to remove her from office." Some of di tins di suspended CJ tok Di panel don abuse my rights for di hearing "I bin apply to di Supreme Court say make dem scrap di provision wey say make di hearing dey behind closed door, and make dem do am for public, but di court no gree," Justice Gertrude Torkonoo tok. 'Di allegations against me neva be true' Di suspended chief Justice also state some of di allegations inside di petitions wia she tok say dem neva be enough grounds to remove her from office "I neva make any decision for di court on my own, di decisions by di Supreme Court na court decision even if I bin dissent wit my view." She add say "di chairman of di panel wey dey hear di mata na Supreme Court judge wey also bin on top one case wey involve di petitioner dey raise conflict of interest." "Dem bin accuse me say I carry my husband and my daughter to go for vacation outside di kontri two times, wia I use state moni, but for dis two vacation wia I bin dey within di judicial service conditions of service," Gertrude Torkornoo explain. "Di conditions provide say di CJ gat to travel wit at least one pesin everytime, na so I choose to travel wit my husband and daughter on different occasions - for those trips, we even return some of di per diem up to $9.6K two days afta I don return afta I bin spend only $4,400 out of di $14,000 dem carry give me." On di allegation say she bin write to di former president Nana Akufo-Addo say make im appoint five new judges to di Supreme Court for 2024, without consulting di judicial service, di Ghana bar association and oda groups; di suspended CJ say she neva do anitin wrong. 'I no go resign, I go fight dis mata' Di suspended chief Justice tok say pipo don tok am say make she resign sake of di wahala don plenty wia di Supreme Court don also dismiss five cases against di impeachment process. But Gertrude Torkonoo say she neva go resign. "My loved ones and oda pipo bin dey call me say make I resign so say dem go stop to dey drag me for dis mata, but if I resign, e go send wrong signal say when I gatz to stand up for di law, I run away." Justice Torkonoo further add say "even tho pipo bin dey threaten me wia some dey tok say if I comot dis mata and still remain chief Justice, dem go make I suffer, I go still pursue di mata." "I neva go Sidon make dis flawed and opaque process to stand wia I no go tok. If I no tok, dis calculated process to achieve political agenda based on false claims, go become precedent for Ghana," Also "for my ova 30 years of practise as a lawyer, and ova 20 years as a judge for dis kontri, I neva collect bribe bifor, na so my integrity dey intact." Goment respond to di suspended Chief Justice press conference Goment don address counter press conference afta di chief Justice im press conference wia dem tok say some of di tins di CJ tok, no be true. Tok tok pesin for di goment Felix Kwakye Ofosu say "di venue for di panel hearing (Edu Lodge) na goment facility wia di committee vim request to use di area to prevent leaking of tins during di committee hearings." "To tok say di venue dey calculate to intimidate her na unfair to di goment, wia di venue gat no link wit wetin she tok say na di Venue dem plan wia dem kill three judges in 1981, as di chief Justice tok." Oga Felix Ofosu Kwakye him add say "nobody fit point to one step wia di president don follow so far dey against di constitution, na di CJ wia don breach di law when she carry di mata enta public against di law." For di mata about threats to her life, Felix Kwakye Ofosu tok say di CJ sabi wia she gatz to report issues of threat, no be di media, na di police. Already sabi pipo bin suggest say di suspended chief justice day in contempt; as she carry di mata enta public when di law say make di panel hearing and di details of di petitions dey "in-camera". Odas tok say wetin she gate do na to go thru di hearing process and afta if she think say she no free wit di recommendations of di committee, she fit to challenge di mata for court.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
'Stop process to remove me' - Ghana suspended chief Justice tell Supreme Court
Di drama for di suspended chief justice of Ghana no dey end anytime soon. Dis na afta she don go di Supreme Court to stop di presidential committee wia dey investigate five petitions against her. President John Mahama on 22 April bin suspend Justice Gertrude Torkornoo according to di constitution when di council of state bin find "prima facie" case against her for di petitions wia pipo don file to di president against her. Na so im go ahead to select five-member committee to begin to investigate di suspended Chief Justice; in fact di committee already don start dia hearings, as dem dey sit three times every week. According to di kontri constitution for Article 146, dis kain hearing of cases against di chief justice and oda ogbonge officials, gatz to be behind closed doors. But inside di fresh suit wia Justice Gertrude Torkornoo don file for di Supreme Court against di process to remove her, she tok say she wan make dis committee hearing dey for di public. Dis na di third suit wia pipo don file for di supreme court to stop di process to remove di chief justice, since she bin chop suspension, afta di council of state find say di three petitions (later become five), get questions wia di chief justice gat to answer. Even tho di constitution dey clear about di process wia petitions to remove di chief justice gatz to go thru, opposition lawyers and oda pipo don go di supreme court to stop di process wey dey in motion now. Wetin be di process to remove di chief Justice According to Ghana constitution, to remove di chief Justice, di process dey clear. Someone gat to write petition to di president to explain why dem suppose sack di chief Justice. Afta dem write di petition, dis na di tins wey get to happun. Dis na di tins she dey demand from di Supreme Court On 6 May, di Supreme Court for dia 3-2 majority decision throway one injunction application wia one opposition lawmaker Vincent Ekow Assafuah, bin file against di removal process. Di lawmaker try to get di court to stop di process wia dem describe as "illegal." Na so for 21 May, di Supreme Court again for majority 4-1 decision, throway anoda injunction application by one interest group against di process to remove di chief justice so far. But few hours afta di Supreme Court dismiss di latest application, di suspended chief justice herself carry di mata go di same Supreme Court. Justice Gertrude Torkornoo now bin sue di attorney general and di five members of di panel wia dey investigate di five petitions against her. Pipo kwesion why di former Attorney general na lawyer to di suspended chief justice Sabi pipo kwesion why di former attorney general na lawyer for suspended chief justice for dis mata Former director for di Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare bin tok say di suspended chief justice im attempt to stop di removal process as "unconstitutional." "Di move by di suspended CJ don dey undermine di constitution," wia im also bin accuse Justice Gertrude Torkornoo and her legal team say dem "dey try to scata lawful process." Im add say "president Mahama no breach any law for di process to remove di chief justice so far, so e go dey difficult for any pesin to stop di process." Oda sabi pipo bin tok say for di former attorney general, to be di lawyer for di chief justice don mean say wetin pipo tok say di former goment bin dey get favourable decisions for di Supreme Court wit di suspended chief justice, na true. Oga Kwaku Ansa -Asare also bin tok say "for di former attorney general Godfred Dame, to involve im serf for dis chief justice case, especially when im dey part of di process to appoint her in 2023, don dey make di mata worse." Oga Ansa-Asare tok local radio network JoyFM say di former attorney general im involvement for dis chief justice mata don dey create bad optics for di suspended CJ, especially as dem appoint her during di time im (Godfred Dame) be attorney general wia im be di former president Nana Akufo-Addo im legal advisor. But di former attorney general Godfred Dame respond say im decide to take up dis case sake of e dey in line wit im commitment to "upholding di rule of law." Im tok say dia legal mata for di Supreme Court na about "procedural irregularities" for di suspension process, e neva be about personal allegiance. Im tok say im action na to fight for di "independence of di kontris judiciary." "Time don reach say good men for dis kontri gatz to speak up for di right tin. One attorney general wia don stand up for di judiciary wia speak against attack on di judiciary, na me." Oga Godfred Dame add say "wetin dey happun be wrong, we gatz to correct am. Time don reach say we go do di proper tins for dis kontri. We no fit to let pipo mislead di public wia we neva go correct am." Di Supreme Court go soon hear di latest injunction application by di suspended chief justice. While dat dey go on; di 5-member panel already begin dia investigations wey dem dey hear from di CJ Justice Gertrude Torkornoo and di pipo wia bin file di separate petitions against her. Dem dey sit "behind closed doors" three times a week. Di goment say dem dey expect di panel to finish dia work soon, to settle dis mata once and for all, whether dem go find di suspended CJ guilty or not, na time to tell.
Washington Post
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Ghana's president suspends the chief justice of the country's top court in a surprise move
ACCRA, Ghana — The president of Ghana has suspended the chief justice of the country's Supreme Court, the government said, days after an investigation was launched against her. The surprise move drew outrage from the opposition. The announcement from Ghanian President John Mahama about the suspension of Judge Gertrude Torkornoo came in a press statement on Tuesday that offered no details or explanation.
Bloomberg
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Ghana's President Suspends Country's Top Judge Pending Probe
Ghanaian President John Mahama has suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo after receiving three petitions calling for her removal from office. Mahama has appointed a committee to study the petitions and provide recommendations, Minister of Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu said in a statement Tuesday.
