Justice Torkornoo’s tenure was a fortress for Akufo-Addo’s regime – Barker-Vormawor

Barker-Vormawor says the Chief Justice’s removal leaves behind a troubled legacy of silence, mistrust, and missed opportunities.

Private Legal Practitioner, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has stated that the removal of Justice Gertrude Torkornoo leaves a troubled legacy.

In his view, the Chief Justice’s removal leaves a troubled legacy because the office chose “the convenience of power” instead of the courage required to safeguard the Constitution. “She enabled mampam’s worst impulses,” he wrote, lamenting that ordinary citizens were left without answers when they needed justice most.

Barker-Vormawor added that the Chief Justice’s removal leaves a troubled legacy for the judiciary because it further alienates citizens. He said the office should have been a shield for the weak, but instead “too often became a fortress for the regime.”

“Instead of standing as the guardian of our Constitution, she presided over a judiciary that slipped further into mistrust and estrangement. Fixing and removing judges as political paymasters called for.

“It is all the more disappointing because the office she held demanded more. The Chief Justice is meant to be the moral compass of the Republic. Yet her tenure will be remembered for opportunities missed; for moments when the Office could have been a shield for the weak, but too often became a fortress for the regime,” Barker-Vormawor stated.

The activist’s remarks follow President Mahama’s announcement that Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo had been dismissed in line with Article 146(9). A constitutional committee chaired by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang investigated multiple petitions and found her guilty of “stated misbehaviour.” The President acted on the committee’s recommendation, as required by law.

While critical of her tenure, Barker-Vormawor acknowledged the effort of the committee that recommended her removal. He commended them for choosing duty “in the face of pressure and deliberate misinformation,” saying they displayed restraint that preserved the process.

He reflected that leadership without courage corrodes institutions from within. In closing, he expressed hope that the judiciary could yet restore public confidence, but warned: “Our Judiciary is not fit for purpose. Reform it or we will perish.”

He explained that the Chief Justice’s removal is not a victory but evidence of deeper cracks in Ghana’s justice system. According to him, the judiciary has slipped “into mistrust and estrangement,” with judges allegedly shifted “as political paymasters called for.”

Stressing that the Chief Justice’s removal is symptomatic of institutional decay, Barker-Vormawor said the office failed to live up to its responsibility as “the moral compass of the Republic.” He added that Araba’s leadership will be remembered for “opportunities missed,” when the judiciary could have been a shield for the vulnerable.

Barker-Vormawor praised the committee for resisting “deliberate misinformation” and choosing duty over expedience. He said their work “preserved the dignity of the process” despite pressures surrounding it.

Using vivid imagery, he added: “Araba is gone, but her signature and the culture she symbolizes remains stuck on every wall, like dried blood.” He concluded by urging that Ghana must confront the failures exposed by the removal, warning against sweeping cracks under the carpet.