Gertrude Torkornoo, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah: Two Worst Chief Justices In Ghana’s Judiciary History

The two worst chief justices in Ghana's Supreme Court, under the leadership of former President Akufo Addo, who claims to advocate democracy but actually practices dictatorship, are Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, who resigned in May 2023, and Gertrude Torkornoo, who took office on December 17, 2019. Their appointments led things to fall apart because the two Supreme Court judges served only the ruling party and the president who appointed them, rather than serving the people paying their taxes.

As I have repeatedly stated, a government built on the foundation of criminality is like a poisonous tree that bears bad fruit. The NPP administration, led by former President Akufo Addo, his vice president Mahamudu Bawumia, and the president's relative, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, along with the Supreme Court judges, ran a terror government that has destroyed Ghana's infrastructure, people's lives, livelihoods, and the economy, businesses, and investments.

Ghanaians observed skewed justice working in the government's favor under Kwasi Anin-Yeboah. In Ghana's judicial system, the Supreme Court became a shelter for a plethora of cases including bribery, abuse, fusion with criminal groups, and issuance of unfair verdicts and penalties. Anin-Yeboah encouraged electoral fraud and protected Jean Mensa, a criminal NPP politician appointed to lead the Electoral Commission following Charlotte Osei's false accusations and unlawful termination.

According to an investigation conducted by the opposition, the NDC, crimes were committed at several court levels under the direction of Akufo Addo and Kwasi Anin-Yeboah. While lawsuits submitted by the opposition are left in court to wait for the dust to settle, matters that support the ruling party, the NPP, are swiftly resolved. Therefore, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah’s partisan judgments, even when they was against the opposition, the impoverished Ghanaians were those that suffered both physically and psychologically

Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, like many other NPP politicians following the orders of Akufo Addo, corrupt hammer of justice, had a more disastrous impact on the population without remorse than the opposition NDC. The previous chief judge would have remained in office longer, but he resigned after being accused of involvement in a $5 million bribery case by the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), a civil society organization dedicated to combating corruption.

Anin-Yeboah was regarded as the worst chief justice in Ghanaian political history due to his immoral actions and prejudiced rulings until Gertrude Torkornoo was appointed as the Supreme Court Chief Justice. Akufo Addo, who lacked a good education and therefore depended on criminal activities for his success, nominated Gertrude Torkornoo to shield him from prosecution. Her presence in the legal system and protection for the NPP criminals crimes not only affected the people but also provoked them.

Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo repeated Kwasi Anin-Yeboah’s crimes and biased judgments, including those against the opposition NDC that had a direct impact on the poor, since it is just what Akufo Addo wants from them. Without any justification, Torkornoo reconstituted a five-member Supreme Court panel to support Akufo Addo in his ongoing persecution of Stephen Opuni, the former CEO of COCOBOD, who had been slammed behind bars by Akufo Addo.

Ghana's once-booming economy, businesses, and investments have been wrecked by money laundering and extensive corruption, while many NPP politicians, including Cecilia Dapaah, have been linked to corruption. Yet, Gertrude Torkornoo and the former Attorney General, Godfred Dame, let the corrupt politicians live in impunity while they wanted to imprison political rivals Ato Forson and John Mahama over an Airbus corruption scandal he wasn’t officially charged with.

Afenyo-Markin, the minority leader of parliament, frequently sought biased rulings that would favor his political party in Chief Justice Torkornoo's lucrative judiciary career. Gertrude Torkornoo routinely broke the Constitution and abused her position by making decisions on matters that Parliament House should handle. Her support for Akufo Addo’s corruption is to blame for the GHC 763 billion national debt, as well as the debt accumulation in the COCOBOD, ECG, and DVLA departments.

She also supported Jean Mensa, the current head of the Electoral Commission, to participate in numerous electoral frauds that favored the NPP and resulted in rulings that were overturned in favor of the present NDC government. Considering the violations of the Constitution together with Jean Mensa, after the NDC government won the 2024 election, many Ghanaians are asking why she should continue to serve as chief judge in a new administration since her government is now in opposition.

However, a petition to remove him from office has been filed, citing administrative and constitutional violations that compromise the integrity of the judiciary and charges the chief justice with acknowledged misconduct and incompetence. According to the petition, the Chief Justice must resign in accordance with Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution, which regulates the dismissal of Superior Court judges, including the Chief Justice, for failing to maintain the high standards of judicial conduct necessary for her position.

In response to the call for her resignation, Gertrude Torkornoo, who is unwilling to resign, has retaliated through the legal system. Can she succeed when the Constitution calls for her to be removed? Time will tell, but for the new government to be successful in its fight against corruption, Torkornoo must be forced out. Gertrude Torkornoo must go.

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