The Chief Justice of Ghana, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, has been served with two fresh removal petitions, government sources have confirmed to 3news.com, bringing the total number of petitions against her to five.
According to insider information, the Chief Justice received the two new petitions last week after they were forwarded to her by President John Dramani Mahama, in accordance with the requirements of Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution. She is expected to formally respond to the latest allegations within the constitutionally mandated time frame.
The identities of the petitioners and the full details of the new allegations remain confidential, but sources indicate they similarly cite claims of misconduct and abuse of power, consistent with the earlier petitions submitted on February 14 and March 17, 2025.
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This development adds to an already intense legal and political standoff. Chief Justice Torkornoo was formally suspended on April 22, 2025, after a prima facie case was established by a committee reviewing the initial three petitions. The suspension was carried out by President Mahama, acting in consultation with the Council of State, and has ignited widespread debate about judicial independence and potential politicization of the constitutional removal process.
Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, the most senior member of the Supreme Court, has since assumed the role of Acting Chief Justice pending the outcome of the inquiry.
Public reaction to the Chief Justice’s suspension and the ongoing controversy has been sharply divided. For example, legal scholar and CDD-Ghana Executive Director Prof. H. Kwasi Prempeh has called for urgent reforms to the judicial removal process. He advocates for greater transparency, including public disclosure of the grounds and outcomes of removal proceedings, to uphold public trust in Ghana’s judiciary.
