By Daniel Bampoe
Former Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkonoo has initiated a legal challenge against the ongoing process to vet and confirm Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as the next Chief Justice, marking a dramatic new chapter in the country’s judicial leadership controversy.
In a writ filed at the High Court, the embattled former Chief Justice is seeking an order to halt all vetting and appointment procedures relating to Justice Baffoe-Bonnie.
She is also asking the court to quash the entire proceedings of the Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang Committee — the constitutional body established under Article 146 to consider petitions for her removal from office.
Chief Justice Torkonoo’s application goes further, demanding that all actions and findings made by the Pwamang Committee be declared null and void.
She is also challenging the Presidential Warrant issued by President John Dramani Mahama on September 1, 2025, which officially removed her from office following allegations of misconduct and abuse of office.
According to her lawyers, the decision to remove her was unconstitutional and tainted by procedural irregularities, rendering both her dismissal and the committee’s work legally defective.
She insists that the due process required under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution was not followed in full.
This development comes just as Parliament’s Appointments Committee was preparing to begin vetting Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, who has been acting as Chief Justice since April 22, 2025. His nomination by President Mahama in September followed recommendations from the Judicial Council after months of leadership vacuum within the judiciary.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, a respected jurist with over three decades of experience on the bench, was appointed to serve in an acting capacity when Justice Torkonoo was suspended earlier this year, pending investigations into petitions alleging financial impropriety and administrative misconduct.
The committee’s report, submitted to the President early September, found that Justice Torkonoo had engaged in “stated misbehaviour and misconduct” under Article 146, particularly citing alleged misuse of public funds and administrative overreach.
Acting on these findings and in consultation with the Council of State, President Mahama formally revoked her appointment.
However, Justice Torkonoo’s latest court action has thrown the succession process into uncertainty.
If the High Court grants her application, it could delay or completely stall the confirmation of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, potentially prolonging the leadership crisis that has gripped Ghana’s judiciary since her suspension.
This case marks the first time in recent Ghanaian history that a sitting or former Chief Justice has sought judicial intervention to challenge both their removal and the appointment of a successor.
Background
Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, who succeeded Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah in June 2023, was Ghana’s 15th Chief Justice and the third woman to hold the position.
Her tenure, however, was marred by internal controversies, including tensions within the Judicial Service and multiple petitions filed by civic groups over procurement and administrative decisions.
Her suspension in April 2025 followed months of investigations, culminating in her removal on September 1, 2025.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, a Supreme Court Justice, was immediately appointed as Acting Chief Justice.
Now, her latest court challenge threatens to reopen old wounds within the judiciary and test the strength of the constitutional checks and balances once more.
