CJ office not your personal property, accept your case is ‘dead’ – Ansa-Asare to Torkornoo

Former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa‑Asare, has strongly criticised former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo’s legal challenge over her removal, saying the case was settled long ago and cannot be reopened.

Torkornoo is seeking a High Court ruling to halt the vetting and appointment of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as the next Chief Justice. In her application, she asks the court to nullify the proceedings of the Pwamang Committee, set aside the Presidential Warrant that removed her from office, and stop any further consideration of her replacement.

She is also seeking to stop what she describes as the unlawful denial of her salary, benefits, and entitlements following her removal from office.

She was dismissed on September 1, 2025, by President John Mahama, following the outcome of an inquiry held under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution. The committee had found her guilty of misconduct, including misuse of public funds, and recommended her removal.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has since served as Acting Chief Justice and is now the President’s nominee for the substantive role.

Reacting to this on Citi Eyewitness News on Friday October 17, Ansa‑Asare urged Torkornoo to accept that “her case is a dead case.”

He argued the file was closed on September 1, 2025, when the President acted upon the committee’s recommendation and cannot be revived.

“It is an attempt to reactivate a file that was closed on 1st September and cannot be revived. Her case is a dead case and she must accept that as much,” he said.

He added that since the President accepted the Justice Pwamang Committee’s findings and recommendations on that date, “the entire case came to an end,” and any legal foundation she might claim was “buried on the 1st of September.”

Ansa‑Asare also took issue with Torkornoo’s assertion of authority over the Chief Justice’s office, stressing that it is not her personal domain to manipulate.

“The office of the CJ is not Torkornoo’s personal property that she can put and take out of her travelling bag. It is an office established by law and therefore she can keep personal properties in her bag but leave that of Ghana alone,” he stated.