GhArticles.com Every News in Detail
Suspended Chief Justice of Ghana, Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, has declared her firm resolve not to resign amidst the ongoing impeachment process initiated under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution, insisting that the procedure is flawed, biased, and politically motivated.
At a press conference held on Wednesday, June 25, Justice Torkornoo described the circumstances surrounding her suspension as unprecedented and unjust, and criticized what she termed an “opaque and bizarre” removal process. She stressed that stepping down would wrongly imply guilt and would legitimize a process she believes undermines the very principles of justice she has spent her career upholding.
“Let me assure everybody that I do not seek to cling to a title or position,” she said. “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.”
Justice Torkornoo argued that resigning or retiring mid-investigation is not only personally damaging but also legally invalid. Citing Supreme Court ruling J6/02/2019, she stated that once proceedings are initiated by the State under Article 146, a judge or public official cannot legally withdraw from the process without consequence.
“Judgment can be entered against you because you failed to defend yourself. A judge who resigns or retires would still lose all entitlements because they failed to defend the claims,” she explained.
She further suggested that subtle pressures and veiled threats are being used to compel her resignation, so that her departure could be publicly interpreted as an admission of guilt. “It may well be that efforts are being made to make me feel frustrated and resign so that the architects of the scheme can go back into the media to say that the wild and unfounded allegations in the petitions were not defended because they were true,” she said.
Justice Torkornoo, who was suspended on April 22, 2025, following a prima facie determination made by President John Mahama in consultation with the Council of State, described the ordeal as exposing her to a “model of injustice” she had never imagined possible.
A five-member committee was constituted to investigate the multiple misconduct petitions filed against her. While the committee’s sittings have been held in camera as required by the Constitution, the Chief Justice’s attempts to halt the process through legal avenues have all been dismissed by the Supreme Court.
Still, she remains unwavering.
“If I resign under these circumstances, I will be saying that this flawed, unknown and opaque process is acceptable. It is not,” she declared.
