Abraham Amaliba, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal team, has revealed that former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo attempted to negotiate with President John Mahama to retire with her full entitlements.
According to Abraham Amaliba, Gertrude Torkornoo was working with two prominent figures to seek the arrangement to retire with all her entitlements.
Mr Amliba added that the former Chief Justice, during the negotiations rather went to court to fight her removal from office.
Speaking on TV3’s KeyPoints, Abraham Amaliba stated, “I can tell you on authority that Gertrude Torkornoo worked through some two eminent persons in this country.
They came to plead that she should be allowed to retire with all her entitlements,” Amaliba revealed. Somehow, when the discussion was ongoing, she went to court to fight her removal process.”
Also, private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has said the sacked Chief Justice Torkornoo loses all her entitlements.
According to him, her removal from office implies liability for breaching certain rules.
Martin Kpebu stated“This is because the meaning of the sack is that she was sacked on the basis that she’s been found liable to have breached certain rules whilst in office”.
It will be recalled that Martin Kpebu had earlier warned Gertrude Torkornoo that, would lose all her retirement entitlements if she lost her case.
Speaking on the matter on JoyNews on July 31, 2025, Kpebu explained, “This Article 146 proceedings she’s facing, if she loses the case, it means that her record is tarnished. Can you imagine her family, her children, her record is tarnished.
“And besides, she will lose her entitlement because that is misconduct. When you look at Article 146, it’s misconduct. And you see, usually in our employment law, when a person is dismissed from office because of misconduct, that person loses entitlement,” he added.
Kpebu added, “And so, it means that by her position, Chief Justice Torkornoo would have retired on her salary, entitled to security, entertainment, et cetera. All those things she won’t get if she loses this case. So, I’m thinking that, perhaps, if she’s allowed to resign and then she can go with these benefits, it will help the whole nation.”
Kpebu suggested, “… Perhaps that avenue to resign is not available to her that’s why you see that she’s going nine miles. So, in this context, I once again implore our senior statesmen to come together and then perhaps approach her. If she consents, then they will approach the president and the other stakeholders so that they negotiate something for her to go, so that she resigns… I think a political settlement where she exits in a dignified manner is better”.
“That would help us because right now, it appears, looking at our state of development, we are not quite there,” he continued.
“The matters she’s thrown out have forced certain conversations that ordinarily we wouldn’t have. You see, she raised issues of bribery, issues of nepotism, issues of political influence, matters that we usually hesitate to hold frankly in the no-holds-barred fashion. These are matters that, when it comes to the judiciary, we are coy, shy about them. But I see that she’s forced the conversation,” he added.
Meanwhile, the former Chief Justice has called on the ECOWAS Court to deliver judgment in her favour.
The former Chief Justice argues that Ghana’s Attorney General has failed to file a response within the stipulated time.
Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo’s request follows her removal from office by President John Mahama.
Background
President John Mahama 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.
Meanwhile, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, the most senior Supreme Court judge, was appointed by President Mahama to act as Chief Justice during the investigation process.
President Mahama is now expected to name former Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo’s successor in the coming days.