Attorney-General urges court to strike out suspended CJ’s Judicial Review application

The Office of the Attorney-General has filed a motion at the High Court seeking to strike out a judicial review application brought by suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.

The application challenges the work of the Article 146 Committee, currently investigating multiple petitions for her removal from office.

In an affidavit in support of the motion, deposed to by State Attorney Reginald Nii Odoi, the AG argues that the High Court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

According to the affidavit, the issues raised have either already been determined by the Supreme Court or are currently pending before it—making the judicial review application legally inappropriate.

Justice Torkornoo, who is the subject of an ongoing impeachment process under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution, maintains that the proceedings against her violate basic principles of justice and due process.

Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on June 25, she criticized the committee overseeing her case, accusing it of disregarding fundamental rules of fair hearing and natural justice.

But the Attorney-General’s office insists that her application is fundamentally defective.

The AG points to what it describes as a “grave misstatement of capacity” and the failure to include essential parties to the suit, which it argues renders the application legally incompetent.

The affidavit further states: “This is a proper case where this Honourable Court ought to exercise its jurisdiction to strike out the applicant/respondent’s originating motion for judicial review.”