A group of young Ghanaians on Thursday, May 22, 2025, staged a peaceful picket near Independence Square, close to the premises where the Chief Justice’s probe is being heard.
They are demanding justice, transparency, and the revocation of the suspension of Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo.
Reports indicate that the picketing took place at the venue where the committee probing the Chief Justice was sitting.
The protesters, wielding placards with bold inscriptions such as “Chief Justice Suspension Is Political”, “Stop Undermining the Judiciary”, “Don’t Erode Public Trust”, “Save Our Justice System”, and “Restore the Chief Justice Now!”, expressed grave concern about what they described as a politically motivated attempt to destabilize Ghana’s judiciary.
According to the young men, the suspension and likely removal process lacks transparency and is shrouded in secrecy, fueling suspicion and diminishing public confidence in the judicial system.
“This is not just about one person; this is about protecting the sanctity and independence of our judiciary. The Chief Justice has served this country with distinction. If there are credible allegations, let them be handled in a manner that commands public trust, not behind locked doors,” one of the conveners of the protest stated.
The protestors accused elements within the political establishment of orchestrating a campaign to discredit the Chief Justice due to her firm stance on judicial independence.
They further described the suspension a “complete charade and the biggest assault on the judiciary in the nation’s history”.
Petition to reconstitute committee
The picketing follows a petition to reconstitute the committee probing the Chief Justice, citing a purported meeting between one of the lawyers for the accused and two other judges who would be probing the case. On Monday, May 19, 2025, a Ghanaian citizen, Alfred Ababio Kumi, petitioned President John Mahama to dissolve the five-member committee he has constituted to investigate some three petitions submitted against the Chief Justice Torkornoo, after the President, together with the Council of State, established a prima facie case against the Chief Justice, which subsequently led to her suspension pending the investigation.
According to a copy of the petition dated May 19, 2025 and received at the presidency at about 4:13 pm on the same day, the petitioner stated reason for his petition is that two members of the committee, Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang (Chairman of the committee), Justice Samuel Adibu-Asiedu (member of the committee) in the company of another Supreme Court judge, Justice Yonni Kulendi, were spotted having dinner with Mr Thaddeus Sory, a lawyer who is representing one of the petitioners.
