8 highlights from suspended Chief Justice Torkornoo’s press conference

Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo has addressed the public following her suspension by the incumbent government on April 22, 2025, over alleged misconduct.

Despite her astute courage to challenge the case at the Supreme Court several times, Justice Torkorno, in a press briefing on June 25, 2025, made some new revelations in addition to what was in the public domain.

Below are eight highlights from her speech regarding her suspension.

• Statement categorised in four sections

Justice Torkornoo’s speech centred on four main items. The first statement indicated that her suspension as Chief Justice is historic; the second portion of her statement highlighted the effects her trial process can have on other judicial institutions, the third angle focused on the irregularities and illegalities regarding the petitions against her suspension, and the final aspect of the statement was on the effect of the current proceedings, which is intended to frustrate her to resign.

• Why Historic

The suspended Chief Justice admitted that in all of Ghana’s 68-year history as an independent republic, there has never been a hearing for the removal of the Chief Justice.

“One would therefore have hoped that if such a process becomes necessary, it would provide good guidance and precedent for nation-building. Unfortunately, every step of the removal process being undertaken against me is being done in a manner that breaks every rule on how justice is delivered in the country,” she said.

• Violations of the Constitution and Legal Process

Justice Torkornoo believes her successful removal will violate the Constitution and the legal process of the country.

“And this is why I find the need to draw the nation’s attention this afternoon to the serious violations of the Constitution and law in the process and the danger it holds for the development of the nation’s democracy,”  noted.

• Threat to judicial independence

She cautioned that the process sets a dangerous precedent, affecting not just her but all judges and heads of constitutional bodies in the country. “If this model can be tried on the Chief Justice, it can be repeated with everyone,” she stated.

• Public officials who must serve without being afraid of punishment or reprisals from influential

In her presentation, Justice Torkornoo revealed that there are some public officials who must also serve Ghanaian citizens without being afraid of punishment or reprisals from influential people.

The officials are:

Justices of the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court
The Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioners of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)
The Auditor General
The Chairman, Vice-Chairman and members of the Public Services Commission
The Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners of the Electoral Commission
The Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners of the National Commission on Civic Education

• Hearing held at Adu Lodge

The suspended Chief Justice also threw light on how she disliked the venue for her hearing process.

“I need to make the disclosure at this point that the Adu Lodge facility that I am being tried in featured very prominently in the planning of the murder of Judges on June 30th 1981, and this can be read about in the Special Investigative Report on that terrible event in our national history.

“It will be recalled that Major Sam Acquah, the military officer who was killed with the three High Court Judges, had been the Director of Human Resources of GIHOC. He was my uncle and my guardian when I entered the University of Ghana in September 1980.

“I was also living with him at the time he was abducted and murdered. Was Adu Lodge chosen for this inquiry to make me feel insecure? I think so. And I continue to hold the view that there is no reason to hold a quasi-judicial hearing behind the high walls of Adu Lodge”.

• Violation of human rights

Again, Justice Torkornoo believed her rights as a person had been violated in the process.

“I applied for the proceedings of the committee set up by His Excellency the President to be held in public so that the violations of my rights that had already become manifest from the first day I received notice of suspension from office and the first day that the Committee’s started hearing the petitions against me will not be shrouded in secrecy or by the requirement that the proceedings should be held ‘in camera’. I asked for a public hearing because I know that the secrecy of the proceedings for removing Judges was not created in the Constitution to be used as a cover-up for any agenda,” she stated.

• Baseless allegations

She vehemently dismissed all three petitions against her, describing them as unfounded, providing evidence to refute claims of misconduct, including travel expenses and judicial decisions. “Not one allegation is remotely true,” she insisted.