President John Dramani Mahama has, with immediate effect, relieved Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo of her duties, citing misconduct established by a constitutional inquiry.
In a statement released by the Minister of Government Communications on Monday, September 1, the President’s decision was said to be in line with Article 146(9) of the 1992 Constitution. The action followed the findings of a committee set up under Article 146(6) to investigate a petition submitted by Ghanaian citizen, Mr. Daniel Ofori.
The committee concluded that Justice Torkornoo had engaged in “stated misbehaviour” under Article 146(1) and recommended her removal, a directive the President is constitutionally obliged to carry out.
A separate letter signed by the Secretary to the President, Calistus Mahama, detailed the basis of the ruling. The committee found that Justice Torkornoo had improperly authorized per diem payments to her husband and daughter during two international trips taken in September 2023. Though presented as official assignments, the committee determined that both trips—to Tanzania with her husband and to the United States with her daughter—were in fact private holidays.
The expenses, including per diem allowances charged to the Judicial Service, were deemed unlawful and in violation of established legal and administrative protocols.
“The committee is of the opinion that the travel costs imposed on the Judicial Service, alongside per diem payments for family members, amount to unlawful expenditure of public funds. Such actions cannot be justified either legally or by policy,” the report stated.
Describing the conduct as “avoidable and reckless dissipation of public funds,” the report concluded that the Chief Justice’s actions, particularly as the head of the Judiciary, constituted serious misconduct warranting removal from office.
