Gertrude Torkornoo, the Chief Justice of Ghana’s Supreme Court, was suspended on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in compliance with Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution, following consultation with the Council of State. She was suspended after a prima facie case was made about the three separate petitions that were filed against her. Torkornoo’s removal from office is not a new occurrence; Ghanaians have witnessed a similar case against Madam Charlotte Osei in the past.
In 2018, the Chief Justice Committee’s report sought the removal of Charlotte Osei, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, and her two deputy chairs, Georgina Opoku Amankwaa and Amadu Sulley, from office. The process of the removal of the former head of the Electoral Commission began when the Chief Justice filed a prima facie case against Madam Osei on certain allegations, including the violation of procurement laws in awarding multiple contracts before the 2016 elections.
Ghana’s government under Akufo-Addo and Bawumia advocated against corruption while staunchly supporting and strongly engaging in widespread corruption, state looting, and money laundering while Gertrude Torkornoo was the Chief Justice. The former Chief Justice’s incompetence, continuous violation of the Constitution in favor of her political party, and support for the “Agyapadié” governance led to the collapse of Ghana’s once robust economy, businesses, and investments.
Ghanaians, fed up with the NPP government’s arrogance and every criminal activity that brought misery into their lives and also destroyed their livelihoods, made the best decision to vote out the NPP government in 2024. However, following the defeat, Gertrude Torkornoo has decided to retain her office, despite all the crimes she committed under the NPP government. The hopeless, bitter, depressed, and distraught Gertrude Torkornoo continues to fight from court to court.
While her case is still pending, the suspended Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, filed a writ at the Supreme Court challenging her suspension by President John Dramani Mahama. In a writ filed by her lawyer, Godfred Yeboah Dame, a former attorney-general, Torkornoo is seeking a declaration from the Supreme Court to the effect that President John Mahama’s determination of a prima facie case against her, claiming “it was arbitrary, capricious, in violation of the rights to a fair trial,” and her removal are unconstitutional, void, and of no effect.
This woman, who was appointed Chief Justice, should be well-versed in the law, but she thinks she is above the law. It baffles me that almost all of the NPP politicians occupying higher offices, including Godfred Dame, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, and Bawumia, not only exhibit criminal attitudes but also have no respect for Ghanaians and are involved in constitutional violations. Imagine an attorney general persuading someone to stick with a false accusation to convict an innocent person.
The law that Gertrude Torkornoo violated has come back to haunt her, and she now feels as if her country is failing her; therefore, she wants to take care of her legal problems abroad. In life, one reaps what one sows. By filing a case against the Republic of Ghana before the ECOWAS Court of Justice, where she claimed that her human rights had been violated, the suspended Chief Justice, Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, has disrespected the people, the nation, and the legal system.
Related article: Gertrude Torkornoo: A Lawyer Ignorant Of Human Rights Violations
“I knew the people I was dealing with, so I expected it. It was a whole drama from the petition till the end,” Madam Charlotte Osei shared in an interview with Joy FM. It’s incredible that she didn’t only demonstrate her intelligence but also her toughness by handling situations that Gertrude Torkornoo was unable to. According to details, Torkornoo has filed a lawsuit in the ECOWAS Court, demanding a whopping $10 million in damages for purported moral and reputational harm.
The Court’s mandate is to guarantee that the law and equity principles are followed while interpreting and applying the articles of the Revised Treaty and any other subsidiary legal instruments that the Community has enacted. However, Ghanaians don’t expect the ECOWAS court to force the former Chief Justice on them or help her take such a huge amount of money that she doesn’t deserve.
