Supreme Court has dismissed an application seeking to halt the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo — but one of the case’s key proponents says the fight is far from over.
Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, remained defiant following the court’s ruling on Tuesday, May 6. Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, he emphasized that the majority’s split decision suggests the case raised serious constitutional questions.
“This is not the end of the road,” Mr. Assafuah said. “Of course, the 3-2 decision suggests that the Supreme Court itself sees some reason in the arguments that we made in court.”
Mr. Assafuah said he and his team will wait to receive the full reasoning behind the judgment before deciding their next move. “Once we have the court’s reasoning, we can better assess our options,” he noted.
The legal battle centers around a contentious petition to remove Chief Justice Torkornoo. Prior to Tuesday’s decision, the Supreme Court had unanimously rejected an objection raised by Attorney General Godfred Dame against Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie presiding over the matter.
Dame had argued that Baffoe-Bonnie should recuse himself, claiming the acting Chief Justice stood to be directly affected by the outcome of the case. That claim, however, was firmly dismissed by Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai and the court itself, which found no grounds for disqualification.
Despite the courtroom drama, a cloud of uncertainty still hangs over the process. During a recent hearing, the panel sat one member short due to what was described as an “unavoidable reason,” with Justice Samuel Asiedu absent on April 16.
Mr. Dame has also warned the presidency to hold off on consulting the Council of State, pointing out that ongoing court processes — especially those involving injunctions — should pause such political consultations.
Source:TheDotNews