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0 Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has challenged the credibility of a petition lodged against her by one Ayamga Akolgo, a senior police officer and lawyer, describing the complaint as “baseless” and highlighting procedural irregularities in the inquiry process.
In a press conference held in Accra on Wednesday, June 25, Justice Torkornoo addressed one of several petitions currently being considered by a special committee, which led to her suspension from office.
The petition in question accuses her of unlawfully ordering Mr Akolgo’s arrest during a Supreme Court sitting on November 14, 2024, after a judgment had gone against him.
According to the Chief Justice, Mr Akolgo’s own supporting documents undermine his claims.
“His complaint is that on 14th November 2024, after the Supreme Court had given a ruling which went against him, I, as presiding judge, ordered his arrest without any reason,” she stated.
“He attached an exhibit to his petition — a media report by a group called The Law Platform. This report says that after the Supreme Court panel had ruled against Mr Akolgo, he began shouting in the courtroom, and that is why he was taken out. Essentially, therefore, his own exhibit contradicts his claims.”
Mr Akolgo also argues that a copy of the day’s official proceedings, signed by all judges on the panel, makes no mention of his arrest, which he interprets as evidence of misconduct. Based on this, he is calling for Justice Torkornoo’s removal.
But the suspended Chief Justice has refuted this logic, explaining that courtroom decorum and enforcement of order are handled by court security and do not necessarily appear in court rulings or records unless legally challenged.
More concerning, she said, is the apparent conflict of interest involving Justice Gabriel Pwamang, who has been appointed by the President to chair the committee reviewing Mr Akolgo’s petition.
“What is also significant about this petition is that Justice Pwamang sat with me as one of the judges who heard Mr Akolgo’s case and was named as a witness that Mr Akolgo will call, making him ineligible to preside over the petition,” she noted.
“But His Excellency the President has appointed him to chair and inquire into this petition, and he has accepted to do so,” she continued.
Justice Torkornoo was suspended on April 22, 2025, by President John Mahama, after three petitions prompted a prima facie determination, with the Council of State consenting and a five-member inquiry committee established under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.
