Supreme Court Postpones Challenge to Petitions Against Chief Justice Torkornoo

The Supreme Court has indefinitely postponed a high-profile case contesting the legality of three petitions aimed at removing Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.

The adjournment came on Wednesday, April 9, after the Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, was unable to attend court proceedings. Dr. Ayine had previously obtained permission from the Chief Justice to be excused from court duties between April 7 and 10, citing a scheduled training session for lawyers at the Office of the Attorney General.

Presiding over the session, Justice Henrietta Mensah Bonsu granted the request and adjourned the case without setting a new date.

However, the decision drew concern from former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, who is representing the plaintiff, Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah. Mr. Dame expressed surprise at the absence of both Dr. Ayine and his deputy, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, noting that the training program should not have caused both to be unavailable.

Despite Dame’s plea for the case to be rescheduled to Monday, April 14, the court declined to set a new date, leaving the case in limbo for now.

The suit, brought forward by MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah, challenges the constitutional procedure employed by former President John Mahama in initiating the removal process against the Chief Justice. The petitioner contends that Chief Justice Torkornoo should have been given a chance to respond to the allegations before the President sought advice from the Council of State, as required under Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution.

Assafuah argues that bypassing this step breaches the Chief Justice’s right to a fair hearing and jeopardizes the independence of the judiciary.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Torkornoo has officially addressed the petitions, complying with a 10-day directive issued by former President Mahama.

The court was expected to rule on whether the President’s actions conformed to constitutional procedures for removing a sitting Chief Justice.