Suspended Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo, has raised serious doubts about the legitimacy of the petitions filed against her, revealing that one was submitted by a group calling itself “Shinning Stars,” which, according to official checks, is not registered in Ghana.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, 25 June, Justice Torkornoo questioned how such an entity could legitimately initiate proceedings that led to her suspension under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.
“The last petition is from a group calling itself ‘Shinning Stars.’ Searches have shown that no such group is registered in Ghana. Yet, as a corporate body, they have petitioned against me, and I am being tried,” she said.
She cited the specific allegation from this unregistered group, which concerns a Supreme Court ruling in the case Afenyo-Markin v. Attorney General & the Speaker of Parliament, where she allegedly failed to allow the Speaker to be heard before judgment was passed—a charge she strongly refuted.
“No Judge sits alone in the Supreme Court, and the Court’s decisions are the decisions of all the Judges who sit together,” she explained.
“Every judicial decision I took that is complained about by Mr Ofori, Mr Akolgo, and the group calling itself ‘Shinning Stars’ was done as part of a panel of at least five Supreme Court Judges. All Judges in a panel are indemnified by Article 127(3) of the 1992 Constitution.”
Justice Torkornoo challenged the legal validity of the petition, asking:
“How tenable, if I may ask respectfully, can it be that a petition to remove the Chief Justice from office can be entertained on these grounds?”
She reiterated that all the decisions under scrutiny were made within the framework of her constitutional and statutory responsibilities. Despite submitting evidence that due process was followed, she disclosed that a presidential warrant for her suspension was issued without explanation.
Justice Torkornoo was suspended on 22 April 2025 after three separate petitions alleging misconduct were deemed sufficient by President John Mahama to warrant an investigation under Article 146(6). A five-member committee was subsequently formed to probe the claims, but the process has sparked legal challenges and widespread debate.
The Chief Justice has since filed a Supreme Court injunction to halt the committee’s work, citing constitutional violations and infringements on her rights. She warned that the integrity of Ghana’s judiciary and other constitutional bodies is at stake.
“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 said.
Read Also: Suspended CJ rejects petition claims by Ayamga Akolgo, questions fairness of inquiry process
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