Former Speaker of Parliament Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye and Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo (from left)
Former Speaker of Parliament, Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye, has urged the Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, to request a public hearing in the ongoing processes on the petitions for her removal.
According to him, even though the 1992 Constitution states that the hearing of petitions for the removal of the Chief Justice should be held in camera, the ongoing process has already been leaked to the public.
He indicated that it would not make sense for the five-member committee set up by President John Dramani Mahama to look into the petitions to do so in secret, because the public is already aware of the details of the allegation against Justice Torkornoo.
The former Speaker of Parliament, who made these remarks in an interview on JoyNews on May 8, 2025, added that the provision to hold the trial in camera is to protect the Chief Justice, but now that the public has details of the case against her, she can request a public hearing.
“First and foremost, the dirty linen has already been washed in public… It (the provision for an in camera hearing) is there for the benefit of the Chief Justice on trial.
“The matter is already so in the public domain. The secrecy aspect is broken. If that is so, then the purposive interpretation enables you, the beneficiary, to know [and] say I don’t want a secret trial,” he said.
He added; “I don’t know the position of the Chief Justice, I’m talking in terms of jurisprudence and analysis. But, on that basis, whoever the Chief Justice is [should] be in the position to say, I don’t want a private hearing trial — I don’t want five people to go and put me in a room and come out and say I’m guilty of all counts. I want the people of Ghana to hear what I have done and whether I’m guilty or not.”
Watch a video of his remarks below:
Chief Justice Suspension: “Your dirty linen has already been washed in public — request an open trial,” Prof. Mike Ocquaye advises #ThePulse pic.twitter.com/SBEXC5OIf6
— Joy 99.7 FM (@Joy997FM) May 8, 2025
BAI/AE
Watch videos of the #SavetheJudiciaryDemo below:
