Lawyer Yaw Anokye Frimpong, a historian and legal practitioner, has vehemently disagreed with the suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo’s recent remarks, claiming that they were completely inaccurate and deceptive.
As a lawyer, he stated, “I think everything she came here to say is totally incorrect.”
In an interview on Thursday, June 26, 2025, on the GTV Breakfast Show, Mr. Frimpong claimed that the Chief Justice’s demand for a public hearing in her case was unconstitutional. He asserts that because of the delicate nature of the position, the Constitution mandates that these inquiries, particularly where a Chief Justice is involved, be conducted in private (in camera).
“She wants the process to be made public, but the Constitution does not allow that in this case. She is asking the nation to break the rules just for her. That is not right,” the lawyer stated.
In his critique of the Chief Justice’s response to the accusations made against her, Mr. Frimpong said that she merely addressed a portion of the petition rather than its entirety.
“One does not simply pick one or two topics and disregard the others. “Even one proven issue can result in your removal if there are thirty or fifty allegations,” he stated.
He said that in order to safeguard their rights and legacy, any Chief Justice who is the subject of such an investigation must to think about leaving their position as soon as possible.
“If you leave before the report is finished, the results are not made public, and you still receive your benefits,” he said.
Drawing on Ghana’s past, Mr. Frimpong explained how previous President Kwame Nkrumah fired a Chief Justice following a contentious case and how, in his opinion, the 1992 Constitution has made it simpler for a current president to fire a Chief Justice.
He emphasized that a petition frequently indicates that the administration may be preparing to remove the participating judge once it advances to the committee investigation stage. He went on to say that any sensible Chief Justice should follow suit and resign in silence.
The lawyer said in closing that instead of appealing in public, Chief Justice Torkornoo ought to have contested any injustice in court.
“You don’t win legal battles through the media. The right place to fight this is in court, not at press briefings,” he said.