Former Deputy Attorney General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, has described the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo as an “unholy assault” on the independence of Ghana’s judiciary.
Reacting to the development on Monday, September 1, Tuah-Yeboah expressed deep concern over the precedent it sets for the future of judicial independence and warned that it could open the door to politically motivated attacks on the office of the Chief Justice.
“I’m sad because this is an unholy assault on the independence of the judiciary,” he said. “This has a far-reaching consequence moving into the future. This goes to buttress the point that whoever fits in as a Chief Justice from today should also be thinking about the future implications. If you sit in that office, the possibility of flimsy petitions being used to remove you is very high,” He said in an interview on Joy News.
Chief Justice Torkornoo was removed from office on September 1, 2025, by President John Dramani Mahama, following a recommendation by a committee set up under Article 146 of the Constitution. The committee found that allegations of stated misbehaviour contained in a petition by a private citizen had been proven.
While the government maintains that the process followed constitutional procedures and due process, critics like Tuah-Yeboah argue that the motivation behind the move was political.
“I’m not surprised because this one is in fulfilment of a campaign promise,” he claimed. “This is a clear case where a political actor, before elections, campaigned on the promise to remove a Chief Justice; upon assuming office, had some people file for the removal, and today the result. That’s why I’m sad but not surprised.”
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