Is jailing Dr Opuni a trade-off for the appointment of Chief Justice Torkornoo? – Group asks

A group that calls itself ‘Justice for Dr. Stephen Opuni Forum’ has accused the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, of being biased against the former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr. Stephen Opuni, in his ongoing criminal trial.

According to the group, the Chief Justice, since she took office, has taken unjustified action in the trial of Dr. Opuni, including the transfer of the High Court Judge who was presiding over the case.

In a statement sighted by GhanaWeb, the group added that the actions of Justice Torkornoo make it seem like she wants Dr. Opuni to be jailed as payment for her elevation as chief justice.

“Fellow Ghanaians, the prosecution, better still, the persecution of Dr. Opuni, has opened a can of worms with regards to a decaying judiciary which is unenviably presided over by Chief Justice Gertrude Esaaba Torkornoo.

“Following the retirement of Justice Anin Yeboah, under whose watch the decay festered, many Ghanaians hived a sigh of relief, thinking a new Chief Justice would revamp that image. Regrettably, their joy was short-lived as the successor disappointedly hit the ground running towards the wrong direction.

“Her action, as well as subsequent events surrounding the case, actually begs the question of whether jailing an innocent man like Dr. Stephen Opuni was a trade-off for her elevation into the high office of the Chief Justice as many other qualified persons were side-lined. The Chief Justice's decision is clearly politically aimed at undermining a fair trial and justice by unduly interfering in an ongoing established judicial process presided over by Justice Kwasi Anokye Gyimah,” parts of the statement read.

The forum also said that the trial of Dr. Opuni is just a ‘witch hunt’ by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government to show that the John Dramani Mahama administration was corrupt.

'Right from the word go, many knew that this is a trumped-up case to paint a gloomy picture of the Mahama-led administration to justify the lies Ghanaians were told that, that administration was corrupt."

Read the full statement below:



BAI/OGB

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