The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority, Edudzi Tameklo, has questioned how the Minority in Parliament secured what they claim to be the content of the petition for the removal of the Chief Justice from office.
His question comes after the Minority in Parliament, at a press conference, condemned the petition to remove Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, describing it as a blatant attempt to undermine the judiciary’s independence.
The MP for Suame, John Darko, who also serves as the Legal Counsel of the Minority Caucus in Parliament, argued that the grounds for the petition—including allegations that the Chief Justice advised the President on judicial promotions and presided over a contentious case—were “flimsy and politically motivated.”
“We see the spurious petition for the removal of the Chief Justice as a serious setback to our democratic journey,” he stated.
But commenting on the issue during a panel discussion on TV3, monitored by GhanaWeb, Edudzi Tameklo, who also doubles as the Director of Legal Affairs, said the process for the removal of Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkornoo is highly confidential and has been handled as such by the Presidency.
He questioned how the supposed content of the petition was leaked.
“My learned senior says we were told… When the President received the petition and the Chief Justice wrote to request a copy, the President, in honouring the request, sealed the petition before giving it to her. Who informed the Minority of the details? Is Her Ladyship the Chief Justice in communication with the Minority? Because at this point, the petition is strictly between the President and the Chief Justice. In fact, to preserve the integrity of the process, the President sealed and marked the petition.
I have heard one journalist on Metro TV refer to what they claim is the content of the petition. Who leaked it to them and to the Minority? Who told them?” Edudzi Tameklo asked.
He further urged the Minority to trust the process for the removal of the Chief Justice, just as they trusted the process that led to the removal of Lauretta Lamptey, the former Commissioner of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
“How come that [John Darko], the Minority Spokesperson on Legal Affairs—his own colleague, Frank Annoh Dompreh—brought a petition for the removal of Lauretta Lamptey, and President Mahama didn’t say it was an NPP MP against his appointee? He received the petition, acted on it, found merit, and dismissed his own appointee.
How come that today, Annoh Dompreh and his Minority do not have confidence that President Mahama will do the same thing he did with Lauretta—affording her the opportunity to defend herself? Where is the fear, where is the panic?” Edudzi Tameklo questioned.
