Member of Parliament (MP) for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has expressed concerns over what he perceives as a deliberate attempt to remove Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo from office.
“It looks as if somebody has made up his mind that by hook or crook, the chief justice must be removed,” he claimed in an interview with JoyNews’ Parliamentary Correspondent, Kwaku Asante, on Tuesday, 27th May, when parliament resumed from a two-month break.
Mr. Assafuah criticised the ongoing impeachment proceedings, labelling the process as lacking transparency, and reiterated that it is an effort to axe the Chief Justice.
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“I have maintained right from the beginning of this process that the process is fraught with unfairness; there are a lot of procedural improprieties,” he added.
Mr. Assafuah, who previously challenged the suspension in the Supreme Court, saw his application dismissed in a narrow 3-2 decision earlier this month.
The court upheld President John Mahama’s authority to suspend the Chief Justice following the submission of three undisclosed petitions and subsequent consultations with the Council of State.
President Mahama’s decision was based on a prima facie case established from the petitions, which led to the formation of a five-member committee to investigate the allegations. The specifics of the accusations remain confidential.
The move has intensified political divisions, with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) condemning the suspension as a threat to judicial independence.
Civil society organisations and legal bodies have also weighed in. The Ghana Bar Association has called for strict adherence to constitutional procedures, emphasising the importance of due process in matters concerning the judiciary.
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