The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has stated that the removal of Justice Gertrude Araba Torkonoo from the office of the Chief Justice will hurt future Chief Justices.
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“People must always think about the future because a dangerous precedent is being set that tarnishes the beauty of our democracy,” he stated.
At a media briefing for parliamentary leaders last Wednesday, Mr. Afenyo-Markin noted that Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s nomination was happening at a time when a related case was still before both a Ghanaian court and the ECOWAS court, where Justice Torkonoo had sought interim relief.
He pointed out that, as of now, the Attorney-General had yet to file any response to the substantive case — at least according to the press release issued by the Chief Justice.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin further explained that Justice Torkonoo was challenging the constitutionality of the actions taken against her, citing procedural irregularities.
“These are issues currently before the Supreme Court and the High Court,” he said, questioning why the Supreme Court was quick to hear the injunction request but had delayed in ruling on the main case.
Travesty of justice
The Minority Leader described the actions of the Justice Gabriel Pwamang Committee as a “travesty of justice.”
He said the committee’s supposed recommendation should trouble the conscience of all its members. The committee, he explained, included four judges — a retired Supreme Court judge and two sitting justices.
According to him, the committee was handling three petitions. After completing the first hearing, it instructed Justice Araba Torkonoo and her lawyers to return on the 15th to begin the second one.
“Then suddenly, the lawyers for the second petitioners requested a long adjournment, and unexpectedly, a report emerged recommending her removal. Within just two hours, that report was reviewed, and a decision was taken to act on it,” he said.
Democracy undermined
Mr. Afenyo-Markin argued that the committee’s hasty recommendation to remove Justice Torkonoo had undermined Ghana’s democracy.
He criticized the committee for rushing the process, saying, “You are a constitutional body under Article 146, tasked with handling such a matter — yet you claim to have concluded a decision when the hearing isn’t even over.”
He added, “If our colleagues in the NDC were in opposition and this had happened under the NPP, chaos would have erupted.”
The Effutu MP emphasized that unlike the current administration, the NPP respects due process and ensures transparency in national matters — “and that is why we continue to raise these concerns,” he concluded.