Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkonoo is urging the ECOWAS community Court of Justice to order Ghana to pay her US$10 million as compensation for moral and reputational damages.
She maintains her suspension from office violates her rights to a fair hearing guaranteed by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
She is therefore praying the court to order the Ghana government to compensate her for subjecting her reputation through damages.
Her call comes on the back of her suspension by President John Dramani Mahama on April 22, 2025, after consultation with the Council of State resulted in the conclusion that a prima facie case has been made necessitating a full scale probe.
This followed a petition filed against her by some private citizens calling for her removal for abusing the powers of her office.
A five member team chaired by Senior Supreme Court Judge Justice Gabriel Pwamang has since been investigating the matter.
Past and current legal actions
There have been more than 5 legal actions mainly filed at the Supreme Court by various citizens geared at halting the committee’s work.
The Chief Justice herself had also urged the Supreme court to suspend the proceedings arguing the committee had violated her rights during proceedings.
She alleged she was subjected to thorough searches before proceedings and denied access to her electronic gadgets.
When the Supreme Court failed to grant her request, she took the matter to the High Court. This case is yet to be decided with the Chief Justice’s legal team seeking remedies from the ECOWAS Court as well.
The legal team is asking for a declaration that her suspension violates human rights, that the panel constituted to investigate allegations of misconduct was not constituted to guarantee its independence.
They also want an order directed at Republic of Ghana to lift the suspension and restore the Chief Justice to office and an award of $10million as compensation for moral and reputational damages suffered as a result of her suspension.
Suspended Chief Justice Torkornoo sues Ghana at ECOWAS Court over alleged human rights violations
