The removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo by President John Dramani Mahama has sparked widespread backlash, with civil society groups, the Ghana Bar Association, and the opposition NPP all describing the move as unconstitutional and damaging to judicial independence.
Adding his voice to the criticism, Bantama Member of Parliament and former Roads and Highways Minister, Francis Asenso-Boakye, warned that the decision poses a “grave threat” to Ghana’s democracy.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, September 2, Asenso-Boakye insisted that the dismissal was no coincidence but part of a deliberate scheme.
“President Mahama’s sacking of the Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo is no accident; it was a long-planned scheme, executed with precision. This reckless move shatters judicial independence and strikes at the heart of our democracy,” he wrote.
He further cautioned that such actions create a dangerous precedent. According to him, if a Chief Justice can be removed on what he called “flimsy grounds,” no judge will feel safe in upholding the Constitution.
“This is not just an attack on one individual, it is an assault on the very foundation of our Republic,” the Bantama MP emphasized. “Ghana has come too far to let the Rule of Law be hijacked. We must resist every attempt to weaken our institutions. Ghana deserves better.”
President Mahama announced the removal of Justice Torkornoo on Monday, September 1, invoking Article 146(9) of the 1992 Constitution. The decision followed the recommendation of a special committee set up to investigate petitions of alleged misconduct and incompetence against the Chief Justice.
Critics, however, argue that the President’s reliance on the committee’s report does not justify what they see as an attack on judicial independence and a blow to Ghana’s democratic foundations.
