The Justice Pwamang Committee of Inquiry, set up under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution to probe petitions seeking the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Esaaba Araba Sackey Torkornoo, has concluded the phase of taking evidence.
According to The Law Platform, the committee has directed all parties to file written addresses, which will form the basis of its next deliberations. The proceedings stem from a petition filed by Daniel Ofori against the suspended Chief Justice—the first in Ghana’s Fourth Republic to face such disciplinary action.
During the hearings, several high-profile legal luminaries appeared to testify in support of Justice Torkornoo. Among them were former Chief Justices Kwasi Anin Yeboah and Sophia Akuffo, as well as respected constitutional law expert Professor Nana SKB Asante.
Also speaking in defence of the embattled Chief Justice were venerable lawyer Sam Okudzeto, a former President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) with nearly five decades of legal practice, long-serving General Legal Council member Justin Amenuvor, and the current Secretary of the GBA.
The committee, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, was constituted by President John Dramani Mahama after a prima facie case was established against the Chief Justice. The five-member panel commenced hearings on May 15, 2025.
Meanwhile, the committee is scheduled to resume sitting on September 15, 2025, to continue hearings on a separate petition filed by the group Shining Stars. Their counsel, lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor, sought leave of absence on health grounds during the last adjournment. The committee subsequently adjourned proceedings for four weeks to enable him to recover and prosecute the matter.
The Shining Stars petition, however, faces a legal hurdle, as its legitimacy is being challenged before the High Court, General Jurisdiction Division, presided over by Justice John Eugene Nyante Nyadu.
Upon conclusion of its mandate, the Justice Pwamang Committee will submit its report and recommendations to President Mahama, who constituted the body in consultation with the Council of State in line with Article 146(6) of the Constitution.
