Suspended CJ Torkornoo files Judicial review action against removal process

Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has taken legal action to challenge the ongoing proceedings seeking her removal from office, describing the process as unconstitutional and cloaked in secrecy.

At a press briefing held in Accra on Wednesday, June 25, Justice Torkornoo announced that she has instructed her legal team to file for judicial review at the High Court, arguing that the proceedings being carried out under Article 146 of the Constitution are fundamentally flawed.

“There has been a total absence of compliance with all known rules of fair hearing,” she declared. “That is what has necessitated our application to have the process declared void.”

Torkornoo strongly criticized the closed-door nature of the hearings, which are being held in-camera at Adu Lodge, accusing the committee of operating outside the bounds of the applicable constitutional instrument, C.I. 47. She warned that the process risks setting a dangerous precedent for judicial accountability in Ghana.

“My lawyers and I could reach the end of this process, only to be confronted with conclusions based on evidence we’ve never seen,” she said, referencing concerns that the committee might use undisclosed documents to recommend her removal.

She insisted that the use of unseen material and a lack of transparency in the hearings run counter to Ghana’s legal traditions and the fundamental right to a fair defence.

Justice Torkornoo’s remarks underscore mounting tension between legal institutions and the processes of political oversight, as her case continues to draw national attention and raise questions about the integrity of Ghana’s judicial removal framework.