Akufo-Addo Nominates Justice Gertrude Torkornoo As New Chief Justice
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has nominated Gertrude Araba Esabaa Torkornoo as the new Chief Justice.
In a letter addressed to the Council of State on Tuesday, April 25, the president said her nomination is to avoid any vacuum that would be created after the retirement of Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah on May 24, 2023.
“Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah is due to retire from the bench on May 24, 2023, his seventieth birthday. In order to avoid a vacuum and ensure that a new Chief Justice is immediately in office after his retirement. I have decided to begin the process of appointment now.
“Article 144 (1) of the constitution, which governs the appointment of a Chief Justice, requires that I, first consult with the Council of State before seeking the approval of Parliament. Consequently, I am nominating Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo, a member of the Supreme Court, as the new Chief Justice,” the letter said.
Meanwhile, her nomination is subject to approval by Parliament.
When she gets the nod from Parliament, the 60-year-old Justice Torkornoo will become the third female Chief Justice in the history of Ghana, following the footsteps of Justices Georgina Theodora Wood and Sophia Akuffo.
Justice Torkornoo will be President Akufo-Addo’s third appointment to the office of Chief Justice since he assumed office in January 2017.
Below is the letter from the president
