Kwasi Pratt Jr, the Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, has broken his silence following President John Dramani Mahama’s removal of the Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
According to Kwasi Pratt, Ghanaians should just imagine what the conversation would have been if President Mahama had not emphatically stated that he would not be on the ballot for the 2028 elections.
In a social media post on X, shared on September 2, 2025, Kwesi Pratt wrote, “Can you just imagine what would have been said if President John Dramani Mahama had not said emphatically that he will not be on the ballot for the 2028 elections?
Well, I can bet my last pesewa that his opponents would have said that the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo from office is meant to pave the way for the amendment of the #1992 constitution to enable him to contest for a third term in office.
Now, that speculation is dead in the water and arguments for and against the removal of Justice Torkornoo will centre largely on whether or not the action is constitutional”.
Kwasi Pratt further highlighted that the provisions of Article 146 of the Constitution make it clear that the President has no authority to vary the recommendations of the committee.
He added, “The point has to be made that the provisions of Article 146 of the Constitution make it clear that the President has no authority to vary the recommendations of the Justice Pwamang Committee.
To this extent, it may be argued that the decision to remove the Chief Justice from office was not made by the President but by the Committee, which had two Supreme Court judges on it.
Justice Pwamang has already disclosed that the Committee examined 10,000 pages of documentary evidence and the Chief Justice and her accuser were represented by four lawyers each”.
The veteran Journalist further added, “Justice Torkonoo personally testified at the Committee and was cross-examined. She called 12 witnesses, including expert witnesses, as she is entitled to do under the Constitution.
The committee also received evidence from the Chief Justice’s accusers, Mr. Daniel Ofori, through 13 witnesses.
We are certainly living in very interesting times”, his statement concluded.
President John Mahama, on Monday, September 1, 2025, sacked the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, from office with immediate effect after he received a first report from the five-member committee he constituted to investigate three petitions brought against the Chief Justice.
Hours after President Mahama received the committee reports, Chief Justice Torkornoo was sacked with immediate effect.
A statement from the presidency stated, “President John Dramani Mahama has, in accordance with Article 146(9) of the 1992 Constitution, removed the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, from office with immediate effect”.
“This follows receipt of the report of the Committee constituted under Article 146(6) to inquire into a petition submitted by a Ghanaian citizen, Mr. Daniel Ofori. After considering the petition and the evidence, the Committee found that the grounds of stated misbehaviour under Article 146(1) had been established and recommended her removal from office.
“Under Article 146(9), the President is required to act in accordance with the Committee’s recommendation,” the statement concluded.
A leaked document on social media concluded that Justice Torkornoo had engaged in conduct amounting to “stated misbehaviour” under Article 146(1).
The Key finding read, “Unlawful expenditure of public funds: The committee held that the Chief Justice caused the Judicial Service to pay travel expenses for her husband and daughter during private holiday trips in 2023, including per diem allowances. This, the report stated, was an “avoidable and reckless dissipation of public funds.”
Abuse of discretionary power: The committee found that her handling of the transfer of one Mr. Baiden breached Article 296(a) and (b) of the Constitution, describing the act as misbehaviour.
Interference in judicial appointments: The report also noted that she sought to bypass the established process for nominating Justices of the Supreme Court, contrary to precedent set in the Ghana Bar Association case. The committee concluded this amounted to misbehaviour”.
The committee subsequently recommended her removal in accordance with Article 146(7). President Mahama, bound by Article 146(9), which makes the President’s action mandatory once such a recommendation is made, formally removed Justice Torkornoo by Warrant of Removal under the Presidential Seal.
See the post below:
JUST IMAGINE!
— Kwesi Pratt Jnr. (@kwesiprattjr) September 2, 2025
Can you just imagine what would have been said if President John Dramani Mahama had not said emphatically that he will not be on the ballot for the 2028 elections?
Well, I can bet my last pesewa that his opponents would have said that the removal of Chief Justice… pic.twitter.com/3grzD2NFWq