Ghana’s Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, has explained why she has not resigned as head of Ghana’s judiciary, despite the numerous calls for her to step down amid the petitions for her removal.
She says it is not her will to hold unto the position but because the constitution does not permit her or any other public official under probe to do so.
Addressing the State Wednesday, June 25, 2025, she said it is the position of the constitution that has made her stick to her position despite the discomfort she has been encountering with her human rights being violated.
“Let me assure everybody that I do not seek to cling to a title or position. However, as a lawyer of 38 years standing, a Judge of 21 years standing, and Chief Justice of Ghana who has served in the rule of law all of my working life, I consider it my onerous duty and obligation to speak up concerning the administration of justice in this country.
“The situation I have been confronted with has shown me a model of injustice that I would never have thought possible if I had not been exposed to it. This is why despite great personal discomfort, I have decided to marshal every effort, in law and leadership, to answer to this situation.
“Furthermore, resigning or retiring while article 146 proceedings are being conducted to remove a Judge is not an option any Judge or public official is even allowed to have. There is a decided case on the subject by the Supreme Court,” she stated.
Her public commentary follows the petitions seeking her removal from office as Chief Justice by some private citizens.
She had opposed the petition and filed an application at the Supreme Court which sought to restrain a committee set up by the President to investigate the petitions that sought her removal from office.
In the suit, she requested an interlocutory injunction to halt all proceedings of the committee, pending the final determination of the case.
According to Court documents, the Chief Justice wanted the Supreme Court to issue an order restraining the six-member committee, composed of Justices Gabriel Scott Pwamang and Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu, as well as Daniel Yao Domelevo, Major Flora Bazuwaaruah Dalugo, and Professor James Sefah Dziasah, from proceeding with any inquiry related to the petitions brought against her.
The application also sought to bar Justices Pwamang and Adibu-Asiedu from presiding or participating in any deliberations of the committee.
Further, the Chief Justice was also asking the court to suspend the operation of the warrant for her suspension issued by the President under Article 146(10) of the Constitution until a final determination is made on the matter.
However, other legal actions taken by some individuals and a group at the Supreme Court against the processes by the Committee were dismissed.
