Government has expressed disappointment over the recent public comments made by suspended Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, regarding the ongoing impeachment process against her.
Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, addressing the media shortly after Justice Torkornoo’s press conference on Wednesday, June 25, described her remarks as regrettable and unfortunate.
“Unfortunately, Her Ladyship the Chief Justice herself has added to this commentary, which initially was the tone of elements of the opposition,” Mr. Ofosu said.
According to him, the President has thoroughly followed the Constitution as far as the petitions are concerned, hence, her action is unfortunate.
“It is deeply regrettable that this would happen when the President has been above board and conducted himself in strict compliance with the Constitution of Ghana.”
His comments followed Justice Torkornoo’s public address, where she described the removal process against her as unconstitutional, irregular, and politically motivated.
The suspended Chief Justice maintained that she will not resign under pressure, describing the process as dangerous for Ghana’s democracy.
She expressed concerns over how the impeachment proceedings are being handled, citing procedural breaches and violations of her constitutional rights.
Her address came days after the Supreme Court struck out a supplementary affidavit she filed in support of an application to halt the impeachment process.
In the affidavit, Justice Torkornoo alleged degrading treatment and claimed the process was politically driven.
However, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court upheld an objection from Deputy Attorney General, Justice Srem Sai, who argued that the affidavit disclosed confidential details from the committee’s deliberations — in violation of the constitutional requirement for such proceedings to be conducted privately.
Justice Torkornoo’s lawyer, former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, disagreed with the ruling, stating that the affidavit was filed within a judicial forum and never made public, insisting that it did not breach any confidentiality rules.
Despite this, the Supreme Court ruled that the affidavit compromised the confidentiality of the process and struck it out.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
