The UK Bar Council, Commonwealth Lawyers, has ordered President John Dramani Mahama to immediately and without delay, reinstate the suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo to office.
It will be recalled, President Mahama suspended the Chief Justice following a prima facie case being determined against her by the Council of State.
Part of the statement read, “President John Dramani Mahama has, in accordance with Article 146(6) of the Constitution and in consultation with the Council of State, determined that a prima facie case has been established in respect of three petitions against the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo.
The President has consequently, established a committee in compliance with Article 146(6) of the Constitution and in consultation with the Council of State with the following composition to inquire into the petitions which have been referred to them”.
On Thursday, August 14, 2025, in a joint statement, the Bar Council of England and Wales and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association demanded the reinstatement of the Chief Justice.
Parts of their statement noted, “Immediately and without delay, reinstate the Chief Justice of Ghana to her Office, consistent with both the hitherto strong attachment to the rule of law demonstrated by Ghana and also, the constitutional duties incumbent upon them”.
They stated that the rules of practice must “include the time frame within which the investigating committee must conclude the disciplinary process against the Chief Justice, without any further delay and communicate that decision of that process to all concerned in upholding the rule of law in Ghana.”
According to the Bar Council of England and Wales and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, the investigating committee permitting petitioners to use witnesses instead of attending themselves to answer questions on their petitions does not follow the rules and norms of due process.
They argued that the decision by the investigating committee to “deny the Chief Justice’s legal representative the respect required when attending the hearings of the investigating committee is contrary to the Latimer House Principles, which underline the duty to ensure fair and just process.”
Meanwhile, the Office of the Attorney-General has filed processes seeking to strike out a second judicial review application brought by suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
The suspended Chief Justice is asking the High Court to dismiss one of the three petitions filed for her removal from office. The judicial review, filed on June 23, 2025, targets a group calling itself the Shining Stars of Ghana.
According to the suspended Chief Justice’s legal team, the Shining Stars of Ghana petition is flawed because the group is not a registered entity, and the identities of its members remain unknown.
However, Deputy Attorney-General Dr Justice Srem-Sai opposes that these claims are baseless and should not prevent the committee established under Article 146 of the Constitution from continuing its work.
Moving on, the Accra High Court on July 31 threw out Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo’s application for judicial review.
Reports suggest the Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court described the suspended Chief Justice’s review request as an abuse of court processes, asserting that it lacks jurisdiction.
This was another legal blow after three separate injunction applications previously filed at the Supreme Court were also thrown away.
Meanwhile, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo filed another case at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, Nigeria.
She accused President John Dramani Mahama of failing to specify the claims in the petitions for her removal.
According to the details of the lawsuit, she is seeking ten reliefs from the ECOWAS Court, including $10 million in compensation for moral and reputational damages suffered by the Applicant as a result of her illegal suspension and unfair investigation.
