Gertrude Torkornoo has been suspended from office as the Chief Justice

The Human Rights Court in Accra has adjourned the hearing of a case filed by Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, seeking to strike out an application for judicial review brought by suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkornoo over alleged human rights violations.

The hearing has been rescheduled to Wednesday, July 23, 2025, according to a report by gbcghanaonline.com.

According to the report, at a hearing in court on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, State Attorney Reginald Odoi requested a brief adjournment, informing the court of the absence of Attorney General Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine and his deputy, Justice Srem Sai, who were outside the court’s jurisdiction on a national assignment.

It added that the brief adjournment was requested to allow their return and enable them to conduct the case on behalf of the state.

Additionally, the report stated that while legal counsel for Torkornoo, Kwabena Adu Kusi, did not oppose the adjournment request, he called for a swift determination and expeditious handling of the matter.

Background

Justice Torkornoo filed for a judicial review challenging the unanimous dismissal of her application to halt her suspension and the ongoing impeachment proceedings against her.

She is asking the court to declare all proceedings of the five-member committee hearing the three petitions for her removal, chaired by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, null and void, arguing that the process violates her human rights.

The grounds she lists for the judicial review include the following:

* That the Respondents are not properly and legally constituted under Article 156 to conduct the quasi-judicial proceedings required of an Article 146 Committee.

* That the Respondents violated the audi alteram partem rule of natural justice and Article 282 of the 1992 Constitution on 15th May 2025, and further acted arbitrarily, unreasonably, and capriciously in violation of Article 23 and Article 296 of the 1992 Constitution, leading to the conduct of void proceedings on that date.

* That the Respondents have, by failing to provide to the parties the Petition, Answer, and Prima Facie determination that are to form the basis for the enquiry, violated all constitutional requirements for the conduct of a full, impartial enquiry into their alleged terms of reference, thereby rendering the proceedings they are conducting null and void.

* That the Respondents have, by choosing to regulate the proceedings affecting the Applicant as adversarial litigation between the parties and subject to the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2004, CI 47, without first serving on the parties authenticated pleadings that are to form the basis for the adversarial litigation, violated all requirements for the conduct of adversarial litigation, thereby rendering the proceedings they are conducting null and void.

MAG/MA

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