President John Dramani Mahama has affirmed that no decision will be made regarding the fate of suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo until the committee investigating the allegations against her concludes its work and submits a final report.
Speaking during a meeting with the Council of State, President Mahama emphasized his commitment to due process and constitutional governance.
He noted that the appropriate procedures are being followed, and any action from his office will strictly adhere to the committee’s recommendations.
“On the issue of governance, we’ve had the difficult issue with regards to the suspension of the Chief Justice, and of course, the Council of State was involved in a part of that process. We’ve done our part. The rest is left with the committee that was set up to come out with whatever its findings are, and based on that, whatever the consequential issues are, will be dealt with,” the President said.
Justice Torkornoo was suspended by President Mahama under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution and has since mounted legal challenges against the suspension in both the Supreme Court and the High Court.
The Supreme Court recently struck out a supplementary affidavit she filed in an attempt to halt the impeachment process, ruling that it disclosed confidential details of the proceedings, which are protected by law.
In the affidavit, Justice Torkornoo described the process as degrading, unfair, and politically motivated.
However, a five-member panel of the Court upheld an objection from Deputy Attorney General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, who argued that the affidavit breached constitutional confidentiality provisions.
Her lead counsel, former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, contended that the affidavit was submitted only in court and did not violate confidentiality. Nevertheless, the Court dismissed it.
Meanwhile, Justice Torkornoo has filed a separate lawsuit at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, Nigeria, alleging violations of her human rights in relation to the suspension and impeachment proceedings. The suit was filed on Friday, July 4.
