An application filed by the suspended Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkornoo, seeking to quash proceedings initiated against her by the Justice Pwamang Committee, tasked with probing petitions for her removal, has been dismissed by the Accra High Court.
According to a report by legal news portal The Law Platform, the court, in dismissing the application, held that Torkornoo's filing was an abuse of the court process and that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.
In Torkorno's judicial review application, she listed the following grounds; • That the Respondents are not properly and legally constituted under Article 156 to conduct the quasi-judicial proceedings required of an Article 146 Committee. • That the Respondents violated the audi alteram partem rule of natural justice and Article 282 of the 1992 Constitution on 15th May 2025, and further acted arbitrarily, unreasonably and capriciously in violation of Article 23 and Article 296 of the 1992 Constitution, leading to the conduct of void proceedings on that date. • That the Respondents have, by failing to provide to the parties the Petition, Answer, and Prima Facie determination that are to form the basis for the enquiry, violated all constitutional requirements for the conduct of a full, impartial enquiry into their alleged terms of reference, thereby rendering the proceedings they are conducting null and void. • That the Respondents have, by choosing to regulate the proceedings affecting the Applicant as adversarial litigation between the parties and subject to the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2004, CI 47, without first serving on the parties authenticated pleadings that are to form the basis for the adversarial litigation, violated all requirements for the conduct of adversarial litigation, thereby rendering the proceedings they are conducting null and void.
During proceedings on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at the Human Rights Division 1 courtroom, presided over by Justice Kwame Amoako, the court argued that it did not have jurisdiction to inquire into the in camera proceedings.
