Afenyo-Markin secured Supreme Court panel within two hours under Torkonoo’s watch – Thaddeus Sory – Thaddeus Sory

Private legal practitioner Thaddeus Sory has alleged that Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin received extraordinary and unprecedented favour from the Supreme Court under former Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkonoo—a development he says formed a major basis for the petition seeking her removal from office.

According to Sory, one of the key counts in his client’s petition detailed how the Effutu MP became “the only person in Ghana’s judicial history—and possibly any common law jurisdiction—to secure a full Supreme Court panel within just two hours” to hear an application he had filed.

Speaking in an interview with KSM, the prominent lawyer insisted that the orders granted to Afenyo-Markin under Justice Torkonoo’s leadership were of a nature that no court operating under established common law principles would ordinarily grant, given the nature and scope of the application.

“We said that he had set a precedent—indeed, a record in the court—by being the only person who, within two hours, was able to get a full panel of the Supreme Court, presided over by the erstwhile Chief Justice, to give him orders that no court in the world, in the common law jurisdiction, would give,” Sory stressed.

He explained that the speed and outcome of the process raised serious questions for his client and contributed significantly to the petition calling for Justice Torkonoo’s removal.

Alleged closeness between Torkonoo and Afenyo-Markin

Sory further revealed that individuals familiar with both the former Chief Justice and the Minority Leader approached him after the incident, suggesting a personal closeness between the two.

According to him, he was told that Justice Torkonoo and Afenyo-Markin “come from the same place,” and that when her father passed away, the Effutu MP hosted her visitors—claims he says were relayed to him by those present at the time.

These revelations, Sory said, strengthened his conviction that had he appeared at the next sitting of the proceedings, he would have raised a direct objection against the former Chief Justice.

Impact on Justice Pwamang and the removal committee

The legal practitioner further alleged that the conduct of Afenyo-Markin also influenced senior Supreme Court judge Justice Gabriel Pwamang, who chaired the committee that recommended Justice Torkonoo’s removal.

He argued that Justice Pwamang’s own report contributed to the concerns surrounding the petition, adding that “the entire chain of events became clearer as proceedings unfolded.”

Sory claims financial interests for Afenyo-Markin in Judicial Service

Sory also claimed that he has received information indicating that certain services within the Judicial Service are linked to the Minority Leader, alleging that Afenyo-Markin financially benefits from them.

He suggested that this personal interest may explain the Effutu MP’s strong public positions on judicial matters, including his stance on the nomination of Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.

Call for change in approval process for judges

Beyond the allegations, Sory criticised the current parliamentary vetting process for judicial nominees. He argued that the Constitution requires “prior approval,” not an elaborate vetting procedure.

He proposed a revised system in which nominees are approved through background checks and CV evaluations, with vetting reserved strictly for instances where clarification is necessary.