Sophia Akuffo Speaks on Torkornoo Removal as Chief Justice: “She Did Not Get a Fair Trial”
- Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has criticised the removal of Gertrude Torkornoo as Chief Justice
- Torkornoo was also removed as a Supreme Court judge after petitions for her sacking were assessed by an investigative committee
- The committee found that Torkornoo had engaged in the unlawful expenditure of public funds, among other indiscretions
Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has argued that Gertrude Torkornoo did not get a fair hearing in the process leading to her removal as the Head of the Ghanaian Judiciary.
She claimed that the entire process was handled as though it were a treason trial.
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3News reported that Akuffo believes the allegations that were made against Torkornoo were not strong enough to warrant her removal.
“She did not get a fair trial. Even though it is not a trial strictly speaking, it was handled as though it were a treason trial."
Akuffo expressed hopes that this was the final time the Head of the Judiciary would go through such an ordeal.
She maintained that the allegations against Torkornoo lack weight in the context of how the saga unravelled.
“They [the allegations] lack the gravity that will lead to a grave outcome such as the removal of the head of an institution of justice."
“I pray to God that no Chief Justice, no Judge should go through this rigmarole again."
What findings led to Torkornoo's removal?
President John Mahama sacked Torkornoo from office on September 1 after he received the report of the committee looking into petitions against her.
She has also been removed from the Supreme Court.
The committee pushed for Torkornoo's removal because of unlawful expenditure of public funds, abuse of discretionary power, and interference in judicial appointments.
For unlawful expenditure of public funds, she authorised the Judicial Service to cover travel expenses and per diem allowances for her husband and daughter during private holiday trips in 2023.
With respect to the grounds of abuse of discretionary power, her handling of the transfer violated Article 296(a) and (b) of the Constitution and amounted to misbehaviour.
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For the grounds of interference in judicial appointments, Torkornoo was found to have sidestepped the established procedure for nominating Supreme Court Justices.
The committee heard evidence from 13 witnesses in favour of one of the five petitions against her.
The committee was chaired by Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, who assured that the probe was fair despite contentions from Torkornoo and other critics.
The other members of the committee were former Auditor-General Daniel Yaw Domelevo; Major Flora Bazaanura Dalugo of the Ghana Armed Forces; and Professor James Sefah Dzisah, an Associate Professor at the University of Ghana.
Torkornoo chasing compensation from government
YEN.com.gh reported that Torkornoo sued the government for $10 million in compensation as part of the fight against her impeachment.
Torkornoo maintained that her suspension from office violated her rights under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
Torkornoo also said her right to dignity and protection from arbitrary measures had also been violated.
Among other things, she is seeking a declaration that the suspension violated the Applicant's human rights to a fair hearing guaranteed by Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
