Renowned legal practitioner Thaddeus Sory has entered the ongoing public discourse over the impeachment proceedings against suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, firmly stating that she has no legal standing to challenge the process established under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.
His comment comes in the wake of Justice Torkornoo’s first public address since her suspension, during which she sharply criticised the secrecy surrounding the proceedings and defended her demand for the hearings to be held publicly. She argued that the charges against her involve no matters of national security or public safety and therefore do not justify a closed-door process.
Responding in a strongly worded Facebook post, Mr. Sory stated: “Put it in your final address to the committee. Contortions, Distortions, and bad law. No locus standi in Article 146 proceedings. That is the law.”
Sory’s view reflects a strict interpretation of Article 146, which vests authority for removal proceedings in a committee appointed by the President, acting on the advice of the Council of State. According to this interpretation, the subject of such proceedings—whether a judge or a Chief Justice—cannot legally challenge the structure or conduct of the process.
Despite this legal stance, Justice Torkornoo remains unwavering in her position. She has made it clear she will not step down and views her resistance as part of a broader duty to defend the rule of law and expose systemic flaws within Ghana’s justice system.
“Let me assure everybody that I do not seek to cling to a title or position. However, as a lawyer of 38 years standing, a Judge of 21 years standing, and Chief Justice of Ghana who has served in the rule of law all of my working life, I consider it my onerous duty and obligation to speak up concerning the administration of justice in this country,” she said.
She added: “The situation I have been confronted with has shown me a model of injustice that I would never have thought possible if I had not been exposed to it. This is why, despite great personal discomfort, I have decided to marshal every effort, in law and leadership, to answer to this situation.”
Justice Torkornoo has been under suspension since April 22, 2025, as a five-member committee continues to investigate petitions filed against her. The proceedings, which have taken place behind closed doors, have sparked widespread public debate over transparency, judicial accountability, and constitutional limits.
