The Minority has condemned the actions of President John Mahama on the suspension of the Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, calling the move a direct assault on due process and the independence of the judiciary.
President Mahama, on Tuesday, announced the suspension of the Chief Justice after receiving three petitions calling for her removal.
The decision, followed consultations with the Council of State and the establishment of a committee to investigate petitions against her.
In a statement, the Minority described the suspension as "judicial overreach of the highest order" and a "textbook case of executive interference."
They likened the action to the infamous removal of Chief Justice Sir Arku Korsah by President Kwame Nkrumah in 1963.
It is an unpardonable affront to the rule of law that the President has, in consultation with the Council of State, proceeded to suspend the Chief Justice while the Supreme Court is yet to rule on the constitutionality of the very process being used against her. This is judicial overreach of the highest order, a textbook case of executive interference, and a dangerous precedent reminiscent of the dark days of President Kwame Nkrumah’s removal of Chief Justice Sir Arku Korsah in 1963 for making judicial decisions the President did not like.
The Minority further demanded the immediate reinstatement of Justice Torkornoo, insisting that her right to a fair hearing under the 1992 Constitution had been violated. They further argue that the President should have waited for the Supreme Court’s ruling, scheduled for May 6, before taking any action.
