Gertrude Torkornoo saga: You’ve been deceived – Dr. Apaak fires UK, Commonwealth lawyers

Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Clement Apaak, has stated that the Commonwealth Lawyers Association and the United Kingdom Bar Council have been misled into issuing a call for the suspended Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkonoo.

In a post online, he said those who convinced them to push for such a move publicly had only sought to mislead them with unfounded claims.

Dr. Apaak, who also serves as Builsa South Member of Parliament (MP), noted that the two associations had risked their reputations by putting out such a “colonialist-induced” statement.

He said he was surprised by the joint statement, urging the two entities to withdraw and render an apology to the Ghanaian public.

“It baffles me how you are strangely unhappy with lawful actions undertaken as dictated by the constitution of our nation,” the lawmaker who could not hide his contempt for the release wrote. “Your collaborators have deceived you into damaging your reputation with these baseless demands. Withdraw your unjustified statement, and apologise to Ghanaians.”

He reminded the United Kingdom-based association that Ghana was a sovereign country led by a president who was only answerable to his compatriots “as mandated by our constitution”.

Dr. Apaak called it impudent for the UK Bar Council and Commonwealth Lawyers Association to seek an immediate reinstatement of Chief Justice Torkonoo. He said Ghanaians would not “tolerate such nonsensical colonialist-induced insults, disguised as demands” from the foreign bodies.

The deputy minister’s statement is among several pointed responses to the UK Bar Council joint release with the Commonwealth Lawyers Association expressing “serious concern” over Chief Justice Torkonoo’s suspension and urging President John Mahama to reinstate her to the judiciary’s top job “without delay”.

In their release, they remarked that the president’s action was in violation of Ghana’s laws.