Efua Ghartey, the President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), has boldly told President John Dramani Mahama to be careful not to go down the slippery slope of endless revenge.
The GBA president noted that the recent suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo sets a troubling precedent for Ghana’s democratic institutions.
According to Efua Ghartey, the circumstances surrounding Justice Torkornoo’s suspension have sparked widespread concern and require thoughtful national reflection.
Speaking at the annual Martyrs’ Day commemoration in Accra, on Monday, June 30, 2025, Efua Ghartey stated, “All the various calls made for a reconsideration of the suspension of the Chief Justice must not be ignored. In these circumstances, it sets a poor precedent. And that precedent will not go unheeded”.
“We should be careful as a nation not to go down the slippery slope of endless revenge by justifying various acts with the refrain, ‘but others did that too.’
We then rose as a nation from the ashes like the phoenix and decided to conscientiously do better by making Ghana’s democracy and penchant for the rule of law admirable and attractive to many worldwide,” she explained.
Her comments come following the suspended Chief Justice, Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, boldly stating that resigning is not an option.
According to Chief Justice Torkornoo, every step of the removal process being undertaken against me is being done in a manner that breaks every rule on how justice is delivered in the country.
Speaking to the media on 25 June, 2025, Torkornoo stated, “Let me assure everybody that I do not seek to cling to a title or position. However, as a lawyer of 38 years standing, a Judge of 21 years standing, and Chief Justice of Ghana who has served in the rule of law all of my working life, I consider it my onerous duty and obligation to speak up concerning the administration of justice in this country.
The situation I have been confronted with has shown me a model of injustice that I would never have thought possible if I had not been exposed to it. This is why, despite great personal discomfort, I have decided to marshal every effort, in law and leadership, to answer to this situation.
Furthermore, resigning or retiring while Article 146 proceedings are being conducted to remove a Judge is not an option any Judge or public official is even allowed to have. There is a decided case on the subject by the Supreme Court. The suit number is J6/02/2019”.
She added, “Again, no one has the authority to walk away from proceedings started by the State. Judgment can be entered against you because you failed to defend yourself. And a Judge who resigns or retires would still lose all entitlements because they failed to defend the claims and resigned or retired while the proceedings were going on.
Therefore, if false claims are made against a Judge or any Commissioner or other public office holder subject to article 146 proceedings, just to achieve a political agenda, the solution cannot be to resign or voluntarily retire out of frustration, pressure or fear.
One would only find themselves being subjected to two cruelties – a judgment based on false claims, and loss of everything that one has worked for”.
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The National President of the Ghana Bar Association, Efua Ghartey, has called for a review of the suspension of Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo as Chief Justice, describing it as a development that sets a troubling precedent for the country.#TV3GH #3NewsGH pic.twitter.com/W3byONEYIh
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) June 30, 2025
