The former Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, has petitioned the High Court for a judicial review, contesting the legality of her removal from office as a Justice of the Supreme Court by President John Dramani Mahama.
In her application, filed through legal counsel on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, she argued that President Mahama acted “outside the powers conferred by the 1992 Constitution” when he issued a removal warrant on September 1, 2025, that stripped her of her position, both as Chief Justice and as a Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature.
She argued that the removal process outlined in Article 146 of the constitution, which requires an inquiry by a duly constituted body before a Superior Court judge can be dismissed, was completely disregarded.
The application noted that as part of her reliefs, Justice Torkornoo wants the High Court to “Declare that the President Mahama has no authority to remove a Justice of the Superior Court without adhering to the constitutionally required process.”
My lawyers have been turned into Nebuchadnezzar’s magicians’ – Suspended CJ Torkornoo
She further asked the court to affirm that jurisdiction over any removal petition against a Justice of the Superior Court “lies solely with a body established under Article 146(4).”
Torkornoo is also seeking a declaration that the president’s removal warrant is “unlawful, null, void, and of no effect.”
The case, filed under the title The Republic v Attorney General, Ex Parte Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo, makes reference to Articles 23 and 141 of the Constitution as well as Order 55 of C I 47.
Her removal followed several petitions submitted to the president accusing her of misconduct, including misuse of public funds, unlawful interference in judicial proceedings, abuse of power in administrative transfers, and unethical conduct.
After a prima facie determination by the president in consultation with the Council of State, a five-member committee was established under Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution to investigate the allegations.
