President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has received a petition calling for the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo over allegations of misconduct and incompetence.
The petition, filed by Prof. Stephen Kwaku Asare, a Ghanaian legal scholar and citizen, cites Article 146 (1) of the 1992 Constitution, which allows for the removal of a Justice of the Superior Court or a Chairman of a Regional Tribunal on grounds of stated misbehavior, incompetence, or inability to perform duties due to physical or mental infirmity.
Prof. Asare clarified that his petition does not contest the Chief Justice’s judicial decisions. Instead, he accused her of undermining the judicial appointment process by allegedly requesting the President to appoint specific judges and then presenting these nominees to the Judicial Council for approval. He argued that this practice effectively reduces the Judicial Council and the Presidency to mere formalities, rubber-stamping her personal choices for judicial appointments.
The petition raises concerns about the integrity and transparency of the judicial system under the Chief Justice’s leadership. The President is expected to follow constitutional procedures to address the matter.
“When the petition is being considered at any stage, members of the Judicial Council will be subpoenaed to testify on the matter,” he added.
Asare also highlighted instances where the Chief Justice allegedly interfered with duly constituted panels without providing explanations or public interest reasons.
“We consider the reconstitution of panels to be beyond the Chief Justice’s administrative power and amounts to a direct interference with the impartiality and independence of duly constituted judicial panels,” he noted.
