We move – Godfred Dame reacts to Supreme Court 5:0 ruling on CJ Torkornoo’s suit
Godfred Dame, the lawyer of suspended Chief Justice Torkornoo, has said that he is not surprised by the Supreme Court’s decision to throw out her application, challenging her suspension and the ongoing hearing on petitions for her removal.
Speaking to the media after the court’s ruling on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, Dame, the immediate past Attorney General and Minister of Justice, asserted that the verdict of the court is in line with the happenings on the petitions for the removal of the Chief Justice.
“Not surprising because really, it follows in the scheme we are witnessing. But we move, and on to battles that we can fight,” he said.
The former Attorney General also said that the decision of the court is tantamount to them allowing the treatment the Chief Justice has been subjected to.
He described the ongoing processes for the removal of Justice Torkornoo as flawed.
“Process is flawed, no doubt. I mean, heavily flawed, leading with all kinds of (sic). And I’m quite surprised that the Supreme Court will be, more or less, acceding to the (sic) of such violation against the highest officer of the law,” he said.
The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Ghana has, in a unanimous decision, dismissed an injunction application filed by the suspended Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkornoo, which sought to halt the work of the Pwamang Committee, currently considering three petitions for her removal.
In its ruling, the Court stated that the application lacked merit. The full judgment is expected to be made available on June 12, 2025.
Gertrude Torkornoo has been suspended from office as the Chief Justice.
The five-member panel, led by Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, delivered a unanimous 5-0 verdict. The panel also included Justices Omoro Amadu Tanko, Yonny Kulendi, Henry Kwofie, and Richard Adjei Frimpong.
Earlier in the proceedings on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, the panel had also unanimously dismissed a supplementary affidavit filed by Justice Torkornoo.
Justice Torkornoo, in her injunction application, is seeking to halt proceedings by a five-member committee investigating petitions for her removal from office.
The interlocutory injunction, filed on May 21, 2025, also aims to restrain the committee, constituted by President John Dramani Mahama, from continuing its work until the case is fully resolved.
Chief Justice Torkornoo
Chief Justice Torkornoo is also requesting the apex court to bar two of its own justices, Gabriel Scott Pwamang and Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu, from participating in the hearings, citing concerns over impartiality.
In her affidavit, she argued that Justice Pwamang had previously adjudicated cases involving Daniel Ofori, one of the petitioners, and should not be part of a panel reviewing a petition to which he is a party.
She further contended that Justice Adibu-Asiedu had served on a Supreme Court panel that reviewed a related injunction application, potentially compromising his neutrality.
In addition, Justice Torkornoo questioned the constitutionality of the committee’s composition. She challenged the eligibility of its three remaining members, Daniel Yao Domelovo, Major Flora Bazwaanura Dalugo, and Professor James Sefah Dzisah, citing potential breaches of Articles 146(1), (2), (4), 23, and 296 of the Constitution, as well as the Oaths Act of 1972.