Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has raised grave concerns about the choice of venue for her ongoing Article 146 removal proceedings, describing it as a chilling reminder of one of Ghana’s darkest moments in judicial history.
In her speech to the nation on Wednesday, Justice Torkornoo questioned the rationale behind selecting Adu Lodge, a facility located in a cordoned-off high-security zone on Castle Drive in Osu, as the site for her hearings.
She warned that the location could not have been a neutral choice given its historic infamy.
“I need to make the disclosure at this point that the Adu Lodge facility that I am being tried in featured very prominently in the planning of the murder of judges on June 30, 1981,” she stated.
“Was Adu Lodge chosen for this inquiry to make me feel insecure? I think so.”
The Chief Justice went further to draw personal connections to the events of 1981, recounting that one of the murdered judicial officers, Major Sam Acquah, who also served as Director of Human Resources at GIHOC, was her uncle and legal guardian at the time.
“I was also living with him at the time he was abducted and murdered,” she revealed.
Her emotionally charged remarks suggest that the selection of Adu Lodge may have been intended to unsettle or intimidate her, especially when considered alongside other complaints she listed about the secretive and irregular nature of the process.
“The choice of venue, against the background of the secrecy of proceedings, was intended to intimidate me and to prevent any citizen of Ghana from knowing how the proceedings are being conducted,” she alleged.
Adu Lodge has long been known for its controversial role in Ghana’s history, specifically its link to the abduction and assassination of three High Court judges and a retired military officer during the early years of Ghana’s Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) regime.
Justice Torkornoo’s comments come amid widespread legal and civil society scrutiny over the conduct of the committee handling the removal process, which she has criticized for multiple breaches of natural justice and constitutional procedure.
She also warned that the irregularities and symbolism behind the trial setting could have far-reaching implications for judicial independence in Ghana.
“If this model of removal can be tried on the Chief Justice, it can be repeated with everyone. I am not countering these processes for myself, but on account of the leadership burden I carry,” she declared.
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