The Gushegu MP, Hassan Tampuli, has said the dismissal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo came as little surprise, arguing that many Ghanaians had long anticipated such an outcome.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Monday, 1 September, Mr Tampuli noted that comments and actions by leading figures of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), particularly in the run-up to the 2024 general election, gave a clear indication of what was likely to unfold.
“I do not think any Ghanaian is surprised by the outcome of the committee’s hearings today, given the manner in which the process began,” he remarked.
He recalled that during the electioneering period, there had been persistent talk of a ‘reset’ and a deliberate push to restructure the judiciary.
According to him, these were accompanied by “thinly veiled threats” against the judiciary, including an instance in which the current Minister for Communications allegedly suggested that the President would need to “purge the judiciary”.
“In that context, it was hardly surprising when petitions were subsequently filed against the Chief Justice,” Mr Tampuli observed.
His remarks followed the announcement that President John Mahama had removed Justice Torkornoo from office, acting on the recommendations of a Committee of Inquiry established under Article 146 of the Constitution.
The committee upheld allegations of stated misbehaviour contained in a petition submitted by a private citizen, paving the way for her dismissal.