- Supreme Court rules 3–2 against injunction to stop petitions for CJ Gertrude Torkornoo’s removal
- Justices Mensa Bonsu and Gaewu dissented; full decision to be released on May 21, 2025
- Objection to Justice Baffoe-Bonnie presiding was dismissed
The Supreme Court has, by a 3–2 majority decision, rejected a request to halt proceedings on petitions seeking the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, saw Justices Henrietta Mensa Bonsu and Ernest Gaewu dissenting, while the majority ruled that the case should continue without interruption. The Court announced that its full reasoning would be published on May 21, 2025.
The injunction request was part of a broader legal challenge that questioned the Chief Justice’s suspension and raised critical constitutional concerns surrounding judicial independence and due process. Lawyers opposing the suspension argued that allowing the proceedings to continue without addressing preliminary issues could undermine the fairness of the process.
However, the majority of the justices found no compelling reason to delay the case at this stage.
The decision came amid earlier controversy over the composition of the panel. Former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame had objected to Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie presiding over the matter, citing concerns about an acting Chief Justice leading a panel in a case involving the substantive Chief Justice. The Court dismissed his objection unanimously after a short recess.
The panel hearing the case includes Justices Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Henrietta Mensa Bonsu, Yonny Kulendi, Amadu Tanko, and Ernest Gaewu.
