Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkonoo has submitted her response to three petitions requesting her removal from office. The deadline for her to submit this response was Monday, April 7, 2025. According to Graphic Online, Chief Justice Torkonoo submitted her response to the presidency, with copies sent to the Council of State, on Friday, April 4, 2025. Two weeks ago, the presidency announced that it had received and forwarded these three petitions to the Council of State for consultation, all of which called for Justice Torkonoo’s removal from her position.
The presidency in a press statement, explained that the move by President Mahama was in line with Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution. Article 146 governs the processes for the removal of Justices of the Superior Courts, the Chief Justice and persons whose offices are analogous with Justices of the Superior Courts such as the Chairperson and Deputy Chairpersons of the Electoral Commission (EC) and Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
Three individuals filed petitions on February 14 and March 17, 2025. Details of the petitions are not yet available. Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution states that the grounds for removal from office must include specific instances of misbehavior. Following the presidency’s announcement that the petitions had been forwarded to the Council of State for consultation in order to establish a prima facie case, the Chief Justice sent a letter on March 27, 2025, requesting copies of the petitions. This request was made so that she could respond as part of the process of establishing a prima facie case regarding the petitions.
In a letter addressed to both the President and members of the Council of State, Justice Torkonoo asked for an additional seven days to review the petitions once received. The following day, March 28, President Mahama instructed the Chief Justice to provide a preliminary response to the petitions through his executive secretary.
By: Beatrice Laryea
