Suspended Chief Justice slams “Dream Trial,” warns of threat to judicial integrity
By DL News
Published
1 min read
In a nationally televised address on June 25, the Chief Justice painted a picture of a legal ambush, likening the experience of her defense team to the biblical tale of King Nebuchadnezzar demanding that his magicians reveal and interpret a...
Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has broken her silence with a powerful condemnation of the proceedings seeking her removal, describing the process as legally unsound and fundamentally unjust.
In a nationally televised address on June 25, the Chief Justice painted a picture of a legal ambush, likening the experience of her defense team to the biblical tale of King Nebuchadnezzar demanding that his magicians reveal and interpret a dream he had not even shared.
Since the process commenced on May 23, Justice Torkornoo claims her team has been left in the dark — not receiving copies of the original petitions, the responses she submitted to the President, or the President’s prima facie assessment. This, she argues, violates the constitutional right to a fair hearing.
“No Ghanaian citizen should be summoned without clear notice of the case against them,” she asserted. “Yet that’s exactly what has happened to me.”
The Chief Justice also took aim at the structure of the inquiry, highlighting that petitioners are issuing subpoenas and submitting evidence without testifying themselves — a move she described as a departure from legal norms. She criticised the decision to bypass C.I. 65 (governing inquiries) in favour of litigation rules under C.I. 47, even though no formal pleadings or issues have been established.
What’s more, she raised alarms about the secrecy and location of the hearings at Adu Lodge — a site infamously linked to the 1981 murder of judges — suggesting the setting evokes intimidation and fear.
Justice Torkornoo revealed that her team has now sought judicial intervention at the High Court, calling for the entire process to be quashed. In her words, “This isn’t about me alone. It concerns every judge, every public servant whose rights are guaranteed under our Constitution.”
Legal analysts and civil society voices have begun echoing her concerns, suggesting that the implications of this case could reverberate well beyond the judiciary.
