Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Accra (Agenzia Fides) – “The suspension of the President of the Supreme Court is a matter of great national importance.” This is how the Ghanaian Bishops’ Conference (CBC) has expressed its concern regarding the suspension of Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, Chief of Justice of Ghana.In a statement signed by Msgr. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi of Sunyani and President of the Ghanaian Bishops’ Conference, the bishops emphasize that this process “must be scrupulously governed by constitutional principles, by absolute procedural fairness, and by clear respect for the principle of separation of powers.”The judge was suspended from office on April 22 by President John Mahama, based on three petitions, the content of which has not been disclosed. This is the first time in the country’s 68-year history since independence that a sitting chief justice has been subjected to impeachment proceedings, sparking an intense political and legal debate about the balance between executive and judicial powers, as the bishops note in their statement.Torkornoo opposed the Head of State’s measure, but her request to suspend the proceedings before the Commission of Inquiry was rejected in May 2025 by the Supreme Court on procedural grounds.Facing what she considers a violation of her right to a fair trial and ongoing damage to her reputation, she has appealed to the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Based in Abuja, Nigeria, the Court has jurisdiction over human rights violations committed by member States, including Ghana.The suspended judge is asking $10 million in compensation from the Ghanaian government for the damages suffered.Judge Torkornoo’s case, however, is not an isolated one but rather a wake-up call regarding the state of democracy in Ghana, as the Bishops emphasized in their July 22 statement, in which they recalled the violence that occurred on July 11 during the rerun of the parliamentary elections in the Ablekuma North constituency. “We unequivocally condemn all forms of electoral violence, especially the brutality perpetrated against citizens, including journalists,” the bishops stated, requesting a thorough investigation into these incidents. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 24/7/2025)
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