Suspended Chief Justice of Ghana, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, has filed a landmark lawsuit against the Republic of Ghana at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, Nigeria, alleging violations of her human rights following her suspension and ongoing removal process. The case, filed on July 4, 2025, according to Ghana’s Deputy Attorney General Dr. Justice Srem Sai, challenges what Torkornoo describes as an unlawful sidelining from her constitutional duties. She contends that her suspension amounts to a de facto removal from office without the benefit of a final judicial determination, thereby violating both national and international legal protections.
President John Dramani Mahama suspended Justice Torkornoo after the Council of State recommended action based on three separate petitions accusing her of “stated misbehaviour.” The President’s move activated Article 146 of Ghana’s Constitution, which governs the removal of superior court justices. A five-member committee was set up to investigate the allegations, comprising two Supreme Court justices, a former Auditor-General, a senior military officer, and a university academic. Justice Torkornoo, who denies all allegations, has criticized the process as unconstitutional and politically motivated. She previously sought an injunction from Ghana’s Supreme Court to halt the committee’s work, arguing that some of its members had conflicts of interest and that the inquiry lacked procedural fairness.
Her appeal to the ECOWAS Court marks an escalation in the legal and political standoff, potentially setting a precedent for judicial independence and executive accountability in the West African subregion. The court has jurisdiction over alleged human rights violations by ECOWAS member states, and its rulings are binding. Legal experts say the outcome could influence how constitutional processes are applied in similar cases across West Africa, especially where national institutions are perceived as politically compromised.
