It's a wrong perception that judges do the bidding of their appointing authority – Gertrude

Chief Justice nominee Gertrude Torkornoo has refuted the assertion that judges are in the habit of doing the bidding of their appointing authority.

According to her, the decisions arrived at by judges are premised on the law, hence when cases are decided, they must be presumed to have been arrived at independently.

The Chief Justice nominee was speaking during her vetting by the Appointment Committee of Parliament on Friday, 26 May 2023.

“I think that if there’s such a perception, it is the wrong perception because the load of our work with respect to the ordinary Ghanaian hardly has anything to do with the appointing authority,” she commented.

She continued: “As to whether judges give decisions on the basis of independence, independence is always linked with law".

“As long as our decisions are premised on law, they must be presumed to be arrived at independently", she asserted.

Assuring Ghanaians that judges will continue to work independently under her watch, Justice Torkornoo explained what she would do to ensure confidence in the judiciary to erase the aforementioned notion.

“What I would do is consistent engagement, consistent engagement with the community of Ghana through the media regarding how the adjudicating process functions.

“Consistent engagement with Judges themselves and with Judicial service staff," she stressed.