The Minority in Parliament has condemned President John Dramani Mahama's decision to suspend the Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Torkornoo, describing it as a "brazen judicial coup" and a reckless abuse of executive power.
In a statement issued on Monday, April 22, 2025, the Minority accused the President of engaging in political vengeance and undermining judicial independence, especially while legal challenges to the Chief Justice's removal are still pending before the Supreme Court. "This move is nothing short of a brazen judicial coup, a reckless abuse of executive power, and a direct assault on the independence of Ghana's Judiciary," the statement read.
The Minority argued that suspending the Chief Justice under these circumstances amounts to a violation of due process and a dangerous overreach by the Executive.
They likened the action to the 1963 removal of Chief Justice Sir Arku Korsah by President Kwame Nkrumah, a decision widely criticized as executive interference in judicial affairs. "It is an unpardonable affront to the rule of law that the President has proceeded to suspend the Chief Justice while the Supreme Court is yet to rule on the constitutionality of the very process being used against her," the statement said.
