Justice Torkornoo’s removal unjustified – Ayikoi Otoo

Former Attorney-General Ayikoi Otoo has defended former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. He insisted she did nothing wrong to warrant her removal by President John Dramani Mahama.

Former Attorney-General and diplomat, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, has criticized the removal of Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, describing the action as unjustified. He said the decision by President John Dramani Mahama was based on flawed reasoning and ignored established policies.

Speaking in an interview, Mr. Otoo stressed that the former Chief Justice had done no wrong for which she should be removed from office. According to him, the committee that investigated the petitions deliberately overlooked the judiciary’s travel policy, which clearly spells out entitlements for the Chief Justice.

The former Attorney-General explained that when officials in such positions travel, entitlements such as per diem are determined by administrative officers, not by the officeholder. “You simply declare where you intend to take your vacation, and the officers responsible process your entitlements. This is standard practice,” he noted.

Mr. Otoo questioned why Justice Torkornoo’s decision to travel with her spouse was treated as misconduct when the policy allows the Chief Justice to be accompanied by a person of choice. He recalled that previous Chief Justices without spouses had traveled with other companions under the same arrangement.

He further argued that even if there had been an error in the computation of allowances, the appropriate step should have been an audit and possible surcharge, not outright removal. “That is why we have auditors — to correct mistakes. Misappropriation cannot be alleged when the system itself approves the entitlements,” he added.

Mr. Otoo expressed disappointment that former Auditor-General Daniel Domelevo, who was part of the five-member committee, endorsed the finding of misappropriation. He insisted that the committee ignored evidence, including the judiciary’s official travel policy, which had been tendered during the hearings.

President Mahama on September 1, 2025, removed Justice Torkornoo from office, acting on the recommendation of the Article 146 Committee of Inquiry. A statement from the Ministry of Government Communications confirmed the decision, citing “stated misbehavior” as grounds for her dismissal.

The committee, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Pwamang, included Mr. Domelevo, Major Flora Bazaanura Dalugo of the Ghana Armed Forces, and Professor James Sefah Dzisah of the University of Ghana. Their report concluded that the former Chief Justice had breached constitutional standards, a finding Ayikoi Otoo insists was erroneous.