The Supreme Court of Ghana has, by a 4–1 majority decision, dismissed a legal challenge filed by the Centre for Citizenship, Constitutional and Electoral Systems (CenCES) seeking to overturn President John Mahama’s suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
The ruling also allows the continuation of the work of the five-member committee established to investigate petitions for her possible removal.
The panel, presided over by Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, included Justices Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu, Yonny Kulendi, Henry Anthony Kwofie, and Yaw Asare Darko—the lone dissenter in the decision. CenCES had argued that the President’s actions violated several constitutional provisions, including judicial independence, fair trial rights, and the due process required under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.
Filed on May 15, 2025, CenCES’ suit named the Attorney General, Chief Justice Torkornoo, and Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang—the chair of the investigative committee—as defendants.
Among the seven reliefs sought, the group requested the court to declare the suspension unconstitutional and to halt the committee’s proceedings, citing executive overreach and a lack of a properly established prima facie case.
However, the Supreme Court upheld the President’s actions, affirming that the procedures followed were lawful and constitutionally sound.
The decision clears the way for the investigative committee to continue its work as concerns over judicial accountability remain in the public spotlight.
 seeking to overturn President John Mahama’s suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.){kind=link}