By Issah Olegor
The five-member tribunal investigating suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo has rejected her call for the proceedings to be broadcast live or opened to the public.
The tribunal, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, began hearings on Thursday, 15 May 2025, behind closed doors, citing constitutional provisions that mandate confidentiality in such proceedings.
The committee resumes hearing tomorrow, Thursday.
The Chief Justice had earlier petitioned for full public transparency, arguing that the allegations, suspension, and public debate surrounding her conduct warranted open scrutiny.
Justice Torkornoo, suspended by President John Dramani Mahama on 21 April 2025 under Article 146(10) of the 1992 Constitution, is facing a formal inquiry into petitions alleging misconduct and incompetence in her administration of Ghana’s judiciary.
Secretive Start
Tensions surrounding the proceedings escalated even before the hearings commenced.
According to sources close to the Chief Justice, the committee’s initial invitation to her omitted the location of the sitting, compelling her legal team to write back seeking clarification.
National Security Facility
The committee later disclosed that proceedings would be held at the National Security premises near the Osu Castle—a highly secure and discreet venue that raised eyebrows within judicial and civil society circles.
The legal ordeal began on 14 February 2025 when a pressure group calling itself Shining Stars of Ghana filed the first of three petitions.
Signed by its convenor, Kingsley Agyei, the group accused Justice Torkornoo of various administrative irregularities, although specific details were not made public.
A second, more detailed petition followed on 17 March 2025, submitted by a private citizen, Daniel Ofori.
His complaint outlined 21 allegations of misconduct and four counts of incompetence linked to the Chief Justice’s handling of judicial operations.
Coincidentally, a third petition—also dated 14 February—was filed by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ayamga Yakubu Akolgo, who, as a lawyer and senior police official, lodged further claims of professional impropriety.
Following the receipt of these petitions, President Mahama acted swiftly, suspending the Chief Justice and triggering the constitutionally mandated investigative process.
Committee Composition
The tribunal tasked with examining the petitions includes figures from across Ghana’s legal, academic, and security sectors. Alongside Justice Pwamang are:
Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu, Supreme Court Justice
Daniel Yaw Domelevo, former Auditor-General
Major Flora Bazwaanura Dalugo, Ghana Armed Forces
Professor James Sefah Dzisah, academic from the University of Ghana.
Each petitioner is legally represented, with the Shining Stars of Ghana backed by legal heavyweights Tsatsu Tsikata and Thaddeus Sory—both prominent National Democratic Congress (NDC) affiliates.
Daniel Ofori is represented by outspoken activist-lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor, while ACP Akolgo is advocating on his own behalf.
Justice Torkornoo herself is being represented by a yet-undisclosed legal team, with early signs indicating that they are pressing for procedural clarity and greater openness.
Transparency Tussle
During the closed-door opening session, Justice Torkornoo made a formal plea for the hearings to be made public, citing the intense public and political interest in the matter.
“Since this issue was made public through petitions, media scrutiny, and executive action, it is only fair that Ghanaians are allowed to witness the proceedings firsthand,” she reportedly argued.
However, Justice Pwamang, ruling on behalf of the committee, stated that Article 146 of the Constitution stipulates such proceedings must be held in camera, irrespective of public demand.
Adding to her legal team’s frustrations was the committee’s initial lack of procedural clarity.
After deliberation, the committee agreed to adopt the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (C.I. 47) to guide the hearings—a move seen as a partial win for the suspended Chief Justice’s team.
Political Undertones
The inquiry marks the first time in Ghana’s democratic history that a sitting Chief Justice has been suspended pending disciplinary investigation, sparking intense debate among legal practitioners, civil society groups, and political analysts.
While the presidency has maintained that the process is constitutionally sound and necessary for upholding judicial accountability, critics—particularly those aligned with opposition parties and judicial advocacy groups—have questioned the timing and perceived political overtones.
The presence of NDC-aligned lawyers and the high-profile nature of the petitioners have further fueled suspicions of partisanship.
Justice Torkornoo, who was appointed in June 2023 and became the third female Chief Justice in Ghana’s history, continues to assert her innocence, describing the petitions as “baseless” and part of a larger scheme to undermine judicial independence.
New Twist
A fresh layer of controversy has emerged in the ongoing inquiry as a petitioner has accused key members of the investigating committee of judicial misconduct—an allegation now fueling what many are calling a plot to oust the Chief Justice.
In a petition dated May 15, 2025, and submitted to President John Mahama, Alfred Ababio Kumi alleges that Justices Gabriel Scott Pwamang and Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu—both members of the five-member committee held a clandestine meeting with legal practitioner Thaddeus Sory, who represents one of the petitioners. Supreme Court Justice Yonni Kulendi was also reportedly present.
The alleged meeting took place at Santoku Restaurant in Accra’s Airport Residential Area just hours after the committee’s first sitting on May 15.
Kumi claims the four men were overheard discussing matters directly related to the petitions against the Chief Justice, a situation he describes as “deplorable” and “most unbecoming” of individuals entrusted with safeguarding judicial integrity.
No statement has been issued from the presidency regarding the latest allegations.
What Next?
The tribunal is expected to meet for several weeks, during which it will review documentary evidence, hear testimonies, and evaluate the legal merits of the accusations.
Its final recommendations will inform whether the Chief Justice is reinstated or permanently removed from office.
