'Stop process to remove me' - Ghana suspended chief Justice tell Supreme Court
Wia dis foto come from, GHANA PRESIDENCY/GETTY IMAGES
Di drama for di suspended chief justice of Ghana no dey end anytime soon.
Dis na afta she don go di Supreme Court to stop di presidential committee wia dey investigate five petitions against her.
President John Mahama on 22 April bin suspend Justice Gertrude Torkornoo according to di constitution when di council of state bin find "prima facie" case against her for di petitions wia pipo don file to di president against her.
Na so im go ahead to select five-member committee to begin to investigate di suspended Chief Justice; in fact di committee already don start dia hearings, as dem dey sit three times every week.
According to di kontri constitution for Article 146, dis kain hearing of cases against di chief justice and oda ogbonge officials, gatz to be behind closed doors.
But inside di fresh suit wia Justice Gertrude Torkornoo don file for di Supreme Court against di process to remove her, she tok say she wan make dis committee hearing dey for di public.
Dis na di third suit wia pipo don file for di supreme court to stop di process to remove di chief justice, since she bin chop suspension, afta di council of state find say di three petitions (later become five), get questions wia di chief justice gat to answer.
Even tho di constitution dey clear about di process wia petitions to remove di chief justice gatz to go thru, opposition lawyers and oda pipo don go di supreme court to stop di process wey dey in motion now.
End of Di one wey oda users dey read well well
Wia dis foto come from, GHANA PRESIDENCY
Wetin be di process to remove di chief Justice
According to Ghana constitution, to remove di chief Justice, di process dey clear.
Someone gat to write petition to di president to explain why dem suppose sack di chief Justice.
Afta dem write di petition, dis na di tins wey get to happun.
- Afta di president don receive dis petition for di removal of di CJ, im go refer di petition to di council of state, wia dem for determine if 'prima facie' case dey against di CJ; dis dey mean say di council get to determine if di CJ get questions to answer.
- If di council of state confam say di CJ get case to answer, di president togeda wit di council of state, go appoint one committee wey get two Supreme Court judges; one of dem go be di chairman of di committee, togeda wit three oda pipo wey no be members of di council of state or members of parliament or lawyers.
- Di president go act on di advise of di council of state and sign one warrant to suspend di chief Justice bifor di committee go begin to investigate am. Di CJ no fit to still dey carry out im work as dem dey investigate am.
- Dis committee go chook mouth for di petition (s) wia dem go invite di chief Justice to hear im side of di tori and answer di allegations for di petition.
- Di hearings for dis committee meetings go dey 'behind closed doors' without cameras.
- Afta di committee don finish dia work, dem go present dia finding and recommendation to di president.
- Di president get to act on di recommendation by di committee, if di committee tok say make im sack di CJ, im get no choice, if di committee tok say dem no find anytin against di CJ, na so e go be.
Wia dis foto come from, GHANA PRESIDENCY
Dis na di tins she dey demand from di Supreme Court
On 6 May, di Supreme Court for dia 3-2 majority decision throway one injunction application wia one opposition lawmaker Vincent Ekow Assafuah, bin file against di removal process.
Di lawmaker try to get di court to stop di process wia dem describe as "illegal."
Na so for 21 May, di Supreme Court again for majority 4-1 decision, throway anoda injunction application by one interest group against di process to remove di chief justice so far.
But few hours afta di Supreme Court dismiss di latest application, di suspended chief justice herself carry di mata go di same Supreme Court.
Justice Gertrude Torkornoo now bin sue di attorney general and di five members of di panel wia dey investigate di five petitions against her.
- Declaration say chief justice gat di right for public hearing for dis mata bifor di panel wia di president don select to investigate di petitions to remove di chief justice
- Declaration say di only time di hearing go dey behind closed doors na if e dey about public morality, public safety and public order
- Declaration say chief justice wia dey appear bifor panel ova petition against her gatz di right to waive di privilege of "behind closed door hearing"
- Declaration say di "prima facie" finding against her by di council of state, no be proper na so e dey null and void
- Declaration say di "prima facie" case by di council of state na arbitrary, capricious wey e dey against di right of di plaintiff
- Declaration say her suspension by di president thru im warrant, na unjustified attempt to remove di plaintiff as di head of di judiciary
- An order to throway di suspension warrant wia di president don issue for 22 April
- Declaration say di chairman of di panel wia be justice for di Supreme Court, Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, no qualify to be chairman or member for dis panel; sake of im sit on cases wia some of di petitioners against her, bin carry go di Supreme Court
- Declaration say anoda member of di panel, also na justice for di Supreme Court , justice Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu no qualify to be on top di panel sake of im be member of di Supreme Court panel for di first petition wia opposition lawmaker Vincent Assafuah don file wia di Supreme Court throway for dia 3-2 majority decision
- Declaration say di three oda members on top di presidential panel to investigate di petitions against di suspended chief justice, no qualify to do dat job,
- An order wia go stop di committee/panel di president don select to investigate di five petitions to remove di chief justice and any oda tin di court go tink
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
Pipo kwesion why di former Attorney general na lawyer to di suspended chief justice
Sabi pipo kwesion why di former attorney general na lawyer for suspended chief justice for dis mata
Former director for di Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare bin tok say di suspended chief justice im attempt to stop di removal process as "unconstitutional."
"Di move by di suspended CJ don dey undermine di constitution," wia im also bin accuse Justice Gertrude Torkornoo and her legal team say dem "dey try to scata lawful process."
Im add say "president Mahama no breach any law for di process to remove di chief justice so far, so e go dey difficult for any pesin to stop di process."
Oda sabi pipo bin tok say for di former attorney general, to be di lawyer for di chief justice don mean say wetin pipo tok say di former goment bin dey get favourable decisions for di Supreme Court wit di suspended chief justice, na true.
Oga Kwaku Ansa -Asare also bin tok say "for di former attorney general Godfred Dame, to involve im serf for dis chief justice case, especially when im dey part of di process to appoint her in 2023, don dey make di mata worse."
Oga Ansa-Asare tok local radio network JoyFM say di former attorney general im involvement for dis chief justice mata don dey create bad optics for di suspended CJ, especially as dem appoint her during di time im (Godfred Dame) be attorney general wia im be di former president Nana Akufo-Addo im legal advisor.
But di former attorney general Godfred Dame respond say im decide to take up dis case sake of e dey in line wit im commitment to "upholding di rule of law."
Im tok say dia legal mata for di Supreme Court na about "procedural irregularities" for di suspension process, e neva be about personal allegiance.
Im tok say im action na to fight for di "independence of di kontris judiciary."
"Time don reach say good men for dis kontri gatz to speak up for di right tin. One attorney general wia don stand up for di judiciary wia speak against attack on di judiciary, na me."
Oga Godfred Dame add say "wetin dey happun be wrong, we gatz to correct am. Time don reach say we go do di proper tins for dis kontri. We no fit to let pipo mislead di public wia we neva go correct am."
Di Supreme Court go soon hear di latest injunction application by di suspended chief justice.
While dat dey go on; di 5-member panel already begin dia investigations wey dem dey hear from di CJ Justice Gertrude Torkornoo and di pipo wia bin file di separate petitions against her.
Dem dey sit "behind closed doors" three times a week.
Di goment say dem dey expect di panel to finish dia work soon, to settle dis mata once and for all, whether dem go find di suspended CJ guilty or not, na time to tell.
