A powerful international jab just landed in Ghana’s justice arena: both the Bar Council of England & Wales and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association have expressed serious concerns about the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. In a joint statement released August 14, they called for her immediate reinstatement, arguing Ghana’s constitutional processes were being sidestepped.
They leaned on Ghana’s commitment to the Commonwealth Charter and Latimer House Principles, stressing that due process, fairness, and an independent judiciary are foundational—and that what’s happening looks like the opposite. Delay, lack of transparency, restricted rights of defence, and procedural shortcuts? They say it all adds up to a prima facie breach of judicial independence.
But the Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, wasn’t having it. On August 15, he fired back—calling their statement premature and uninformed. According to him, the suspension was carried out under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution, following three citizen petitions and review by the Council of State. A properly mandated investigative committee is already hard at work. He insisted the move does not violate the law and will stand until the probe wraps up.