Gertrude Torkornoo is the former Chief Justice
A unanimous ruling by the ECOWAS Community Court on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, has dismissed all claims and reliefs filed by former Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkornoo against Ghana.
Justice Torkornoo dragged Ghana to the regional court following her suspension and subsequent removal from office as Chief Justice and Justice of the Supreme Court in 2025, after three petitions were filed against her.
In her application, she argued that her right to a fair hearing, guaranteed under both the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and the 1991 Protocol of the Community Court of Justice, was violated during the processes leading to her removal.
BREAKING: ECOWAS Court dismisses all seven claims by ex-CJ Torkornoo against Ghana
Below are all the reliefs:
1. A declaration that the suspension of the Applicant (Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo) as the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana by the President of the Respondent State on 22 April 2025 violated the Applicant’s human right to a fair hearing guaranteed by Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
2. A declaration that the panel instituted by the Respondent (Ghana) to investigate and determine the allegations of misconduct against the Applicant was not constituted to guarantee its independence and impartiality and, as such, has violated the Applicant’s human right to a fair hearing guaranteed by Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
3. A declaration that the purported suspension of the Applicant as the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana by the President of the Respondent State on 22 April 2025 constitutes a violation of her human right to fair, equitable and satisfactory conditions of work guaranteed by Article 15 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
4. A declaration that the purported suspension of the Applicant as the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana by the President of the Respondent State on 22 April 2025 has exposed her to public ridicule and odium, locally and internationally, and that the said act constitutes a violation of her human right to dignity guaranteed by Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
5. A declaration that, by subjecting the Applicant to an illegal and unfair investigation and trial since April 2025, the Respondent has inflicted injuries on her professional standing and image, thereby exposing her and her family to immeasurable public ridicule.
6. An order to the Respondent Republic to act immediately to prescribe the rules of procedure to govern the investigation of allegations of misconduct against the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana in conformity with the right to a fair hearing guaranteed by the Constitution of Ghana and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
7. An order directing the Respondent to lift the suspension immediately and restore the Applicant to full office until the conclusion of fair constitutional proceedings.
8. An order restraining the Respondent from continuing with the purported inquiry for the removal of the Applicant as the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, in its current form, until it conforms to fair‑hearing guarantees.
ECOWAS Court adjourns ruling on Torkornoo’s bid to halt removal proceedings
9. An award of $10 million as compensation for moral and reputational damages suffered by the Applicant as a result of her illegal suspension and unfair investigation.
10. Any other relief(s) as the Honourable Court deems just.
MAG/VPO
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