Ghana’s Attorney General has firmly rejected calls from international legal bodies to reinstate suspended Chief Justice Gertrude A.E.S. Torkornoo, insisting her suspension will stand until a judicial misconduct inquiry concludes.
The position follows a joint appeal by the Bar Council of England and Wales (BCEW) and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA), which argued the suspension undermined judicial independence.
In a sharply worded rebuttal, the Attorney General’s office asserted Ghana has acted within constitutional bounds. “Neither Latimer House Principles nor Ghana’s constitution prohibits suspending a Chief Justice once a prima facie determination of misconduct exists,” the statement read. It emphasized that halting the suspension now would itself violate constitutional procedures.
The controversy stems from an ongoing inquiry into alleged misconduct by Justice Torkornoo.
The Attorney General clarified the suspension is procedural, not punitive, and will lift only after the inquiry committee submits its final report to President John Mahama. “The President will adhere to the committee’s findings,” the statement noted, framing the process as a safeguard for judicial integrity rather than executive overreach.
International bodies had expressed concern the suspension could erode Ghana’s rule-of-law credentials. However, the government maintains its actions align with legal due process, balancing accountability and institutional stability.
For now, Justice Torkornoo’s suspension remains a flashpoint between domestic constitutional protocols and global judicial norms.
