NDC Director of Legal Affairs, Edudzi Tameklo
Suspended Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, has sparked significant legal and political debate after filing a writ at the Supreme Court challenging the legitimacy of her recent suspension by President John Dramani Mahama.
Filed on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, the writ—submitted through her lawyer, former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame—seeks to overturn the presidential decision and declare it unconstitutional.
At the heart of the legal challenge is Justice Torkornoo’s claim that President Mahama’s establishment of a prima facie case against her was “arbitrary, capricious, in violation of the right of the Plaintiff to a fair trial, and therefore unconstitutional, void, and of no effect”.
She is also demanding a public hearing of the petitions filed against her and asserting her constitutional right to waive an in-camera hearing.
Additionally, she is challenging the composition of the committee set up to investigate the matter, arguing that two of its members—Justices Gabriel Scott Pwamang and Samuel Adibu-Asiedu—are unfit to participate due to conflicts of interest.
Reacting to the development, the Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Edudzi Tameklo, described the suspended Chief Justice’s decision to pursue the matter legally as “quite refreshing”.
“This application by Her Ladyship herself to restrain the committee from performing its constitutional task comes to me as quite an interesting one, given the reliefs and also considering the injunction application,” Mr Tameklo said on Eyewitness News.
“I’m happy that the suspended Chief Justice will have the benefit of experiencing how the justice system works. Just like any one of us, her ladyship may need the benefits of the very justice she, together with others, has delivered to people over the years.”
He added, “It is my hope and belief that she will be given all the opportunities required under our constitution as a citizen of this country. I think it’s quite refreshing.”