Chief Justice Torkonoo Petitions Supreme Court to Block Two Justices from Removal Case, Alleges Bias

Accra, Ghana - 21 May, 2025 - Ghana's judicial landscape is facing a critical test as suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo petitions the Supreme Court to bar Justices Gabriel Scott Pwamang and Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu from presiding over the proceedings that could lead to her removal from office.

The move follows allegations of a private meeting between the two justices and lawyer Thaddeus Sory, counsel for one of the petitioners seeking her removal, sparking concerns about the committee's impartiality and integrity.

The allegations of bias stem from a reported dinner meeting between Justices Pwamang, Adibu-Asiedu, and Yonny Kulendi with Sory at an Accra restaurant, sparking concerns about the committee's ability to conduct a fair inquiry. Chief Justice Torkornoo, suspended by President John Mahama under Article 146 of the Constitution, seeks an injunction to halt the committee's proceedings.

The development comes as Alfred Ababio Kumi has separately petitioned the President to dissolve the committee, citing the alleged meeting as evidence of bias and compromising the integrity of the process. 

“The strange meeting of the four persons who are keenly interested in and have played, and indeed continue to play, critical roles initiated in the processes for the removal of the Chief Justice excited the curiosity of some persons in the restaurant. Indeed, they were overheard discussing matters relating to the petition,” the petition read in part. Respectfully, the record of the four – Justices Pwamang, Kulendi [and] Asiedu and lawyer Thaddeus Sory’s – presence at the restaurant and meeting can easily be verified and confirmed.

“The above development is of grave worry as proceedings for the removal of the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana are a solemn process and should not lend itself to manipulation by any person or authority. The meeting between Justices Pwamang, Kulendi, and Asiedu with Thaddeus Sory clearly has destroyed the integrity of the process and reduced public confidence in the process so far,” Ababio Kumi’s petition states

“Both Justices Asiedu and Pwamang are panel members set up to inquire into the petition. They have no business meeting with counsel for one of the petitioners outside working hours at an unofficial place – a restaurant, to have a discussion. This is more serious when the record shows that Justice Pwamang gave judgments in favour of the same petitioner, Daniel Ofori, represented by the same counsel, Thaddeus Sory, in the Supreme Court.

“Their conduct is deplorable and the most unbecoming of justices occupying the highest court in Ghana. It has the tendency to show that the whole process, quite unfortunately, is a sham. In the interest of preserving the integrity of the process, I hereby petition you for an immediate dissolution of the committee, as its ability to dispense justice is clearly compromised,” the petitioner concludes.

As the Supreme Court considers the petition, the nation anxiously awaits the outcome, which could have far-reaching implications for Ghana's judiciary and the rule of law.

Source: Lead News Online