'Grounds for removal of Chief Justice and justice of superior court shallow, ephemeral' — Former Chief Justice

Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo

Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has challenged the basis for the removal of Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, arguing that the grounds relied upon did not meet the high standard required to remove a Chief Justice or a superior court judge.

Speaking on TV3, Madam Akuffo said her objection centred on the nature and seriousness of the grounds used in the constitutional removal process.

“What I am critiquing is the shallowness and the ephemeral nature of the grounds on which a Chief Justice and a justice of the superior court can be removed,” she said.

She maintained that the threshold applied in Justice Torkornoo’s case was inadequate.

“I disagree with the grounds for her removal because the threshold that was being applied was rather low,” she said.

Justice Gertrude Torkornoo was removed from office on September 1, 2025, following a committee’s investigation into allegations brought against her under the constitutional procedure for removing superior court judges.

Madam Akuffo, however, clarified that she was not commenting on the specific details of the proceedings, which she said were conducted confidentially.

“Once again, I cannot go too much into that because the proceedings were all within confidentiality,” she said.