The Supreme Court has thrown out all combined petitions contesting the sacking of ex-Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, ending domestic court challenges to her exit.
A seven-judge bench led by Justice Amadu Tanko on Thursday, July 2, 2026, ruled the cases had no legal basis and struck them out.
The decision closes the door on attempts to reverse her removal, an issue that sparked strong political and legal arguments since she was suspended and later dismissed in September 2025.
Four distinct lawsuits were lodged in 2025 after her suspension, which followed a preliminary finding on petitions calling for her ouster. They were brought by Tafo MP Vincent Assafuah, private individual Theodore Atta Quartey, the former Chief Justice herself and the Centre for Citizenship, Constitutional and Electoral Systems.
The court later merged the matters into two cases for trial. Justice Torkornoo left office on September 1, 2025, after a five-person investigative panel headed by Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Pwamang recommended her removal.
The panel was constituted under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution to probe claims of stated misconduct. It held her responsible for multiple infractions, including alleged improper use of state money for travel and payments to relatives, plus breaches of constitutional rules governing court management.
Her dismissal was the first instance in the Fourth Republic where a serving Chief Justice was removed via the constitutional route. Separately, the ECOWAS Court of Justice on June 24, 2026, also rejected all complaints filed by the former Chief Justice against the Republic of Ghana. It found no breach of her rights and denied her request for compensation. With the Supreme Court’s verdict, all local legal options against her removal have now been used up.
