The Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assifuah, who filed the now-dismissed injunction application seeking to halt President Mahama’s suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Esaaba Torkonoo, has explained the reason behind his objection to the empanelling of judges.
The Acting Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, constituted a new panel for the case comprising himself, Justice Henrietta Mensah Bonsu, Justice Yonny Kulendi, Justice Amadu Tanko, and Justice Ernest Gaewu.
Former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, who served as counsel for the plaintiff, objected the reconstitution of the panel.
He argued that the Acting Chief Justice should not preside over the injunction application because he stood to benefit personally from the court’s decision. However, the objection was overruled.
Reacting to the development on Accra-based JoyNews after the hearing, the plaintiff emphasised that the objection was aimed at fostering public confidence in the judiciary, stressing the importance of fairness and transparency.
According to him, the objection was not to undermine the powers of the Acting Chief Justice but to protect the credibility of the judicial process.
“We were not questioning the power of the Acting Chief Justice to empanel the judges. We are only saying that, as the saying goes, let justice not only be done, but be seen to be done. Breathe confidence into our judiciary.
“Make sure that the integrity of the judiciary is intact, so that any bystander anywhere, when he sees what is happening in court, may not only consider the legality or constitutionality of the process, but also recognise fairness and justice. That’s the point I’m making,” he explained.
