By: Adwoa Nyarko Asiamah | September 2, 2025
Private legal practitioner, Lawyer Godlove Tenkorang, has described the removal of Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Cecilia Torkornoo as both Chief Justice and Justice of the Supreme Court as unconstitutional.
Speaking in a phone interview with Pure FM, Lawyer Tenkorang argued that while the constitutional framework allows for the removal of a Chief Justice under strict conditions, extending that removal to her position as a Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature is inconsistent with the 1992 Constitution.
According to him, the offices of Chief Justice and Justice of the Supreme Court, though interconnected, are not legally inseparable. He explained that the position of Chief Justice is an administrative and leadership role, while that of Justice of the Supreme Court is a substantive judicial appointment requiring its own independent process of removal.
“Removing her as Chief Justice and also taking away the fact that she is a Superior Court Justice is highly unconstitutional,” he emphasized.
Lawyer Tenkorang cautioned that such an action, if allowed to stand, could set a dangerous precedent where future Chief Justices risk losing their judicial tenure along with their administrative role whenever governments change.
He further called on Parliament, the Judicial Council, and civil society organizations to take a closer look at the matter in order to safeguard the sanctity and independence of the judiciary.
