Former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare, has criticised former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo’s decision to challenge her removal from office in court, describing her legal action as futile and “a dead case.”
Justice Torkornoo has filed an application at the High Court seeking to stop the vetting and appointment of Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as the next Chief Justice. Her suit also asks the court to nullify the proceedings of the Pwamang Committee, quash the Presidential Warrant that removed her from office, and reverse what she terms the unlawful denial of her salary and entitlements.
She was dismissed on September 1, 2025, by President John Mahama, following recommendations by a five-member committee that found her guilty of misconduct and financial impropriety. Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has since served as Acting Chief Justice and has been nominated for the substantive position.
Speaking on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Friday, October 17, Ansa-Asare said Torkornoo’s case “was closed the moment the President acted on the committee’s report” and could not be reopened.
“It is an attempt to reactivate a file that was closed on September 1st and cannot be revived. Her case is dead, and she must accept that reality,” he stated.
He added that once President Mahama accepted the committee’s findings and recommendations, “the entire process came to an end,” leaving no legal basis for further challenge.
Ansa-Asare further rebuked Torkornoo’s perceived sense of entitlement to the Chief Justice’s office, saying, “The office of the CJ is not her personal property that she can take in and out of her bag. It is a public office established by law — she can keep her personal belongings, but not that of Ghana.”
