After months of legal wrangling, political tension, and growing public interest, President John Mahama has officially removed Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo from office.
The announcement, made on Monday, September 1, 2025, followed the submission of a long-awaited report from a five-member committee tasked with investigating petitions against her. Government Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu confirmed the decision in a press statement.
Justice Torkornoo had been on suspension since April, when the President, acting on the advice of the Council of State and invoking Article 146(6) of the Constitution, initiated a formal inquiry into her conduct. Three separate petitions had triggered the process, with the Council deeming them serious enough to warrant further investigation.
The inquiry committee, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, included another Supreme Court justice, a former Auditor-General, a senior military officer, and a university professor. Their mandate was to examine the petitions and recommend a course of action to the President.
On September 1, the committee’s report was delivered, culminating in Justice Torkornoo’s dismissal and bringing an end to a turbulent chapter in Ghana’s judiciary.
Although the presidency has not disclosed the full details of the committee’s findings, the decision is expected to fuel debate both within Ghana and internationally. The former Chief Justice had earlier challenged her suspension at the ECOWAS Court, while several professional bodies, including the Ghana Bar Association, the Bar Council of England and Wales, and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, publicly condemned the suspension and urged government to reinstate her.
With her removal now confirmed, national attention is shifting to the implications for judicial independence and the process of appointing her successor.
