BY Issah Olegor
A heated exchange has erupted between former Auditor-General, Daniel Yao Domelevo, and former Attorney-General, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, over the controversial petition hearing that led to the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo.
The two public figures have sharply disagreed over both the venue of the hearings and the nature of evidence presented before the presidential committee that recommended the former Chief Justice’s removal.
The controversy stems from the June 2025 proceedings that investigated allegations of financial misconduct and administrative abuse levelled against Justice Torkornoo.
Following her suspension and eventual removal by President John Mahama, the former Chief Justice held a press conference accusing the committee of unfair treatment, secrecy, and intimidation tactics.
According to Justice Torkornoo, the decision to hold her hearing at the Adu Lodge, located near Castle Drive in Osu, was deliberately intended to unsettle her.
She described the location as “a cordoned high-security zone,” questioning why proceedings were not conducted at the Judicial Service complex, as had been the norm since the Fourth Republic.
“It is hard not to conclude that the venue was chosen to intimidate me and to prevent transparency in the process,” she declared.
However, Daniel Domelevo, who served as a member of the five-member Presidential Committee, has refuted those claims.
Speaking on the KSM Show on October 7, 2025, the former Auditor-General dismissed suggestions that Adu Lodge was a security zone.
“Maybe you can take a tour of Adu Lodge and see for yourself—there’s no gun or security presence there. It’s not a military area,” Domelevo explained.
He further clarified that Adu Lodge was selected precisely because the proceedings were in-camera and required privacy.
“The Constitution requires such hearings to be confidential. The venue was chosen to avoid unnecessary media attention or people recording the process,” Domelevo said.
He stressed that the venue selection was neither arbitrary nor meant to undermine the Chief Justice’s dignity.
Daniel Domelevo also emphasized that the Presidential Committee, not the Chief Justice, had the constitutional authority to determine logistics for the hearings.
“When the petition is against the Chief Justice, it becomes a presidential matter. The President sets up the committee and decides where it sits,” he explained, adding that it would have been “demeaning” to hold the proceedings at the Judicial Service headquarters where the former Chief Justice was once the head.
The former Auditor-General’s explanation comes amidst a separate controversy involving Nii Ayikoi Otoo, lead counsel for Justice Torkornoo. In an earlier interview with Joy FM, the veteran lawyer accused the committee—on which Domelevo served—of ignoring crucial evidence, including the judiciary’s official travel policy.
He maintained that the Chief Justice had not breached any financial regulations and was fully entitled to travel allowances and benefits.
“When these entitlements come, you don’t allocate them yourself. You simply indicate your intention to travel, and the officers process it. She did nothing wrong,” Ayikoi Otoo said, insisting that the Judicial Secretary, not the Chief Justice, was the spending officer in the matter.
But Domelevo hit back, alleging that some of the documents submitted by the former Attorney-General were fake. He revealed that one such document—purportedly showing an appointment letter from the Judicial Secretary—was fraudulent.
“Mr. Ayikoi Otoo provided us with fake evidence. It will interest you to know that he presented a letter signed by the Judicial Secretary appointing the Chief Justice—something that is simply not possible,” Domelevo stated.
The accusation has further inflamed tensions between the two respected legal figures, both of whom have held top public offices.
While Ayikoi Otoo maintains that the committee ignored due process and mishandled evidence, Daniel Domelevo insists that the integrity of the proceedings was beyond question.
