Chief Judge in Ghana taken away from post after probe

Ghana President John Maham fired the main court in Gertrude Torcorn’s country after the investigation recommendation.

She had was on the suspension From April after the complaints were filed with three individuals.

Then, appointed by the President, she found that “the grounds for the stated improper behavior … It was created and recommended to remove it,” Mohama’s office reports on Monday. Ms Torcorn rejected the allegations as unfounded and politically motivated.

The presidency stated that Maham was obliged to act in accordance with the recommendations of the committee. But critics fear that it causes an alarming precedent and undermines the independence of the court.

During its investigation, the board considered 10,000 pages of evidence of 13 witnesses on behalf of the applicant Daniel Afor. The chief judge also testified and called 12 other witnesses, including experts.

Two other motions were not concluded.

Ms Torcorn was also removed as a judge of the Supreme Court on the conclusion of the committee.

The request revealed evidence of illegal cost of public funds related to its private journey. Her husband and daughter reportedly paid help using public funds during a private trip with her husband to Tanzania in 2023, and in the USA together with her daughter.

She also faced allegations of interference by appointing procedures for the appointment of the Supreme Court judges and abuse of powers in the transfer of the judiciary employee.

Ms Torcorn, the third main court case in Ghana, was nominated in 2023 by the former President Nana Akufort.

She is the first chief judge to be investigated and dismissal.

The main judges in the Ghana use the security security – that is, they can be removed only from the post for several reasons, which include incompetence and behavior.

However, Ms Torcorn’s legal representatives rejected the basis for its removal.

In April, the new patriotic opposition party condemned its suspension, calling it a political hunt for witches and an attempt to undermine the judicial judicial independence.

Many lawsuits that dispute the removal process were unsuccessful.

Earlier, she survived a request for removal within the Akufort Add, who found a motion for “several shortcomings”.

She was accused of prejudice of some of her resolutions by the current management party, which was then in opposition.

Former Deputy Prosecutor General, Alfred Tuao-eboo, criticized the decision to withdraw the chief judge, saying he had established a “dangerous precedent”, AFP reports.

“The petition I read did not show the right reasons to guarantee its removal … If the threshold is what we read in the petition, then I am afraid for the future of the judicial system,” he said.

The government’s judicial hand is an independent institution, but the Constitution allows you to check to ensure the balance of power.

Critics claim that the removal of Ms Torcorn can destroy the independence of the judiciary and allow the executive department to have an excessive influence on the judges.

If the executive power is regarded as too much power over the judicial system, it can undermine society’s confidence in the legal system and create unequal conditions for justice.

William Nerko, executive director of the Law and Exchange Center, called for a revision of the law regulating the removal of the chief judge.

He notes that the law of Ghana does not determine what is “stated improper behavior”, leaving a place for various interpretations and potential manipulations of the executive power.

Mr. Nerko cited Kenya as an example when the trial begins with the court service, ensuring the independence of two institutions.

The main court still has the opportunity to dispute it in court, although it may not get a favorable result.