Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, has replied to the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) after they called for a review of the decision to suspend Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
According to Felix Kwakye Ofosu, President John Dramani Mahama cannot review CJ Torkornoo’s suspension.
He asserted that CJ Torkornoo’s suspension is out of the President’s hands and only the committee set up can determine whether the Chief Justice returns to the post or not.
The government spokesperson asserted that what the GBA is asking for is a willful and blatant violation of the 1992 Constitution.
President of the GBA, Effua Ghartey, during the 43rd commemoration of Martyrs’ Day, called on President Mahama to review the decision to suspend Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
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.
However, Felix Kwakye, speaking on JOY FM, stated, “It is surprising that no less a body than the Ghana Bar Association can ask for a willful and blatant violation of the 1992 Constitution simply because of the individual involved.”
“What the GBA is asking for is not something the President can do, because there is no provision in the Constitution for that. At this stage, it is out of the President’s hands. Only the committee that was set up can determine whether the Chief Justice returns to post or not. The President has no further role in the matter, given how far the process has progressed.
He added, “The GBA knows this. So why are they calling for something they know the President cannot do? Why are they insisting that constitutional provisions be set aside simply because they are the ones making the call?”
