Ghana’s judiciary is navigating rough waters as Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo faces mounting pressure following multiple petitions seeking her removal from office.
However, before a prima facie case is established to push the Chief Justice out, intense lobbying to replace her has started, with some of the justices using their political connections, church leaders, and influential chiefs to push their interests across.
What began as a quiet stir of dissent has rapidly evolved into a national legal and political saga, raising the stakes on who could potentially step in to replace the embattled Chief Justice should she be suspended or removed.
Names that have popped up and are likely to be considered if the petitions are pushed through are Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, who is believed to be the most senior member of the Supreme Court bench. He was born on December 26, 1956.
He is therefore 68 and has two years to retire.
His wife was recently appointed Director General of the Ghana Prisons Service, a position presidency sources said is to placate him to skip the CJ position.
He may however occupy the CJ’s position in an acting capacity if Justice Torkornoo is asked to proceed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation since in line of seniority he is the number one.
The top job may be a straight fight between Justices Gabriel Pwamang, 64, and Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, 61.
Pwamang, a former Peoples National Convention, PNC general secretary was appointed by John Mahama during his first term in office. He was born on August 17, 1960.
Kelendi, born on November 29, 1963, was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Akufo-Addo, having practiced as a lawyer in the Akufo-Addo chambers before setting up his law firm, Kulendi@Law.
If any of the two contenders is selected, then the heads of the three arms of government would have gone to northerners in a very lopsided balance of power shift.
President John Mahama and Speaker Alban Bagbin are all from the northern part of the country.
Background
Justice Torkornoo, 62, appointed as Ghana’s Chief Justice in June 2023, by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, made history as the third woman to occupy the highest judicial office in the country.
Her appointment was lauded for its symbolism in promoting gender equity within the judiciary.
However, less than two years into her tenure, she finds herself at the center of a constitutional storm.
Petitions alleging misconduct, abuse of office, and serious financial irregularities were submitted to President John Dramani Mahama in early 2025.
These petitions triggered Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution, which provides the legal process for removing a judge of the Superior Court, including the Chief Justice.
By constitutional procedures, the President forwarded the petitions to the Council of State and gave Justice Torkornoo a ten-working-day window to respond—a deadline she met on April 7.
Audit Exposé
Central to the calls for her removal is a leaked audit report, which paints a troubling picture of financial mismanagement under Torkornoo’s leadership of the judiciary.
Among the revelations is the overpayment of GHS75,580.00 for one-way tickets for the Chief Justice and her spouse to travel to Arusha, Tanzania, for vacation.
The audit flagged the payment as unjustified and recommended its full recovery. Compounding this issue was the allocation of a $14,000.00 imprest to the Chief Justice and her spouse for the same trip—an amount which, at the time of the audit, had not been retired or accounted for.
“Our audit revealed that the service granted accountable imprest of $14,000.00 to the Honourable Lady Chief Justice and spouse for vacation travel; however, the Honourable Lady failed to retire the amount at the time of our audit,” the report states.
Additionally, the audit found that rental income due from judicial properties to the tune of GHS26,541.71 went uncollected in 2023, despite being occupied.
The report also highlighted an exchange rate loss of nearly GHS493,000 resulting from delays in paying for 235 Midea chest freezers procured for retirees.
Questions have also emerged over airfare upgrades for Torkornoo’s relative, Edem Sarah Amiga Torkornoo, whose ticket was upgraded beyond the standard business class—adding GHS9,552.00 in extra costs to the judiciary.
Policy Breaches
The audit further exposed wider violations of internal travel policies in the Judicial Service.
While the President has remained silent publicly, insiders suggest he is aligned with efforts to cleanse the judiciary of perceived mismanagement.
Council of State Deliberations Underway
Following Torkornoo’s formal response to the petitions, the Council of State has begun consultations to determine whether a prima facie case exists.
If they advise in the affirmative, Article 146(6) mandates the President to form a special investigative committee. More importantly, Article 146(10)(a) allows the President to suspend the Chief Justice, acting on the Council’s advice, pending the outcome of the inquiry.
