Presidential Staffer Nana Yaa Jantuah has blamed suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Esaaba Torkonoo for the continued imprisonment of young people over petty crimes.
She cited what she deemed as Justice Torkonoo’s failure to push for the passage of the non-custodial sentencing bill.
Speaking on TV3’s New Day programme on Thursday, June 26, Yaa Jantuah said the Chief Justice should have prioritised the bill, which seeks alternative punishment for minor offences, to decongest prisons and give offenders like goat thieves a second chance through community service.
“If you go to the prisons of Ghana, 70% of the population are between ages 18 to 35—men who are part of the active workforce. And some of their crimes? Somebody stole a goat. Very petty things that could have been punished with community service,” she said.
She continued, “If this woman couldn’t do anything else, she should have led the call for the passage of the non-custodial sentencing bill. Some of these young people come from homes where, through no fault of theirs, they have no proper guidance. They fall into the wrong hands and end up in jail.”
The politician also accused the embattled Chief Justice of selfishness and partisanship, claiming she focused her efforts on ensuring favourable rulings for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“She was rather busy making sure that whatever the NDC or any other party that is not NPP brought to court, they wouldn’t succeed. That’s how she got the nickname ‘The Unanimous FC.’ She’s only thinking about herself,” Jantuah alleged.
Justice Torkonoo is currently facing a committee of inquiry over three petitions seeking her removal from office.
However, she has dismissed the claims, insisting that the allegations are either outright lies or misguided opinions about her professional conduct.
