My resignation will be an admission that this flawed process is acceptable – Suspended CJ Torkornoo

Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has declared she would not resign from office, framing her removal process as unconstitutional and politically motivated.

Her speech in Accra marks a critical moment in Ghana’s escalating judicial crisis, as this is the first time such an address by a Chief Justice is being conducted.

Addressing the press on Wednesday, June 25, she explained that “If I resign under these circumstances, I will be saying that this flawed, unknown and opaque possesses acceptable. It is not.”

“Finally, let me respectfully say that the current bizarre proceedings that I have brought to your attention present a twist to our nation’s democratic journey that we all ignore at our own cost.”

Justice Torkornoo’s suspension on April 22, 2025, followed three petitions alleging misconduct, which President John Mahama deemed sufficient to trigger an investigation under Article 146(6) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.

A five-member committee was formed to probe the allegations, but the process has been mired in controversy.

The suspended Chief Justice has repeatedly challenged the proceedings, filing a Supreme Court injunction to halt the committee’s work, citing violations of her rights.

According to her, Ghana has come too far “not to be concerned about the unconstitutionalities that have been designed not to affect just me personally as Chief Justice, but all judges and public officers, subject to removal processes of Article 146.

She alleges degrading treatment, including body searches, confiscation of electronic devices, and exclusion of her family from hearings held at Osu Castle, a high-security zone she called “psychological intimidation”

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