The suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo by President John Dramani Mahama barely five months after the change in government was expected, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications team, Mohammed Awal, has said.
In an interview with Joy Prime’s Roselyn Felli, Awal accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of diverting the attention of Ghanaians away from pressing issues by targeting the Chief Justice.
President Mahama asked the foremost judicial official to step aside following the establishment of a five-member committee to investigate three petitions filed against her. Myjoyonline.com understands two additional petitions have since been filed to get the Chief Justice out of office.
The presidency, which announced the suspension on Tuesday, said the action was in compliance with constitutional provisions and follows consultations with the Council of State.
The president cited Article 146(6) of the Constitution, which mandates the establishment of a committee to probe allegations against a superior court judge if a prima facie case is established.
According to the statement, President Mahama determined that sufficient grounds exist to warrant further inquiry.
However, the NPP communicator has jumped to the defence of the Chief Justice.
“I’m not surprised, even though I suspect that the NDC government is doing this to take our attention away from the existing issues we have in this country. Fourteen per cent electricity tariffs, ‘dumsor’ and fitting issues of galamsey and so on,” he complained.
Awal emphasised that the NDC’s history with judicial matters has been poor since the PNDC days. He cited the killing of three judges under the PNDC administration as an example.
“They were murdered in this country. Justice Sarkodie, Justice Agyie Agyapong, and a nursing mother who was also killed, all under the PNDC,” he recalled.
Mohammad Awal further condemned President Mahama over what he said was a violation of due process.
“We all know that indeed this process would have happened, but we were thinking that due process would be followed so that when the person is removed, we know that due process was followed.”
Reviewing the entire process, Mr. Awal was of the firm belief that the suspension was politically motivated because the president proceeded despite an injunction application at the Supreme Court.
Addressing the petition, Mr. Awal said, “Yes, it can even be fifty. There is nothing wrong with that. The most important thing is that there must be prima facie, there must be some amount of guilt in it, before you can even suspend the person. You can still petition hundreds, and if the person is innocent, the person will go unscathed”.
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