Council of State was not qualified to determine prima facie case against Torkornoo – Sophia Akuffo

Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has revealed that she filed a dissenting opinion during the process that led to the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.

Sophia Akuffo said she could not disclose the details of her position because the proceedings were confidential, but confirmed that she disagreed with the decision.

“I actually filed a dissenting opinion. I found my opinion… That’s as far as I want to go. I think that ethically, that’s as far as I can go,” she said in an interview on TV3.

She said her dissenting opinion would eventually become available when the records of the Council of State for that period are made public.

“But one day, when the records of the Council of State are made public for that period, yes, my dissenting opinion will be there in the records because I wrote it myself and sent it in myself,” she said.

Sophia Akuffo also questioned the Council of State’s ability to determine whether a prima facie case existed in a judicial matter.

She argued that the process involved legal and technical issues that made the Council unsuitable to make such a determination.

“The former Chief Justice further stated that the Council of State was not qualified to determine a prima facie case in a judicial matter because of the technicalities involved,” according to the account of her remarks.