Former Legal Counsel to ex-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Kow Abaka Essuman, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to release the full report of the committee that investigated petitions for the removal of Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.

In a statement on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, Essuman said the 1992 Constitution does not prevent the President from making the findings public.

“The President of the Republic must, without further delay, release the full report of the Committee constituted under Article 146(6) of the Constitution to investigate the petitions filed for the removal of the Honourable Chief Justice, together with all associated proceedings and documents, namely, the petitions and the Chief Justice’s responses, the prima facie consultations with the Council of State, the full record of witness testimonies, and the committee’s findings and conclusions,” he said.

Abaka Essuman argued that Article 146(8)’s confidentiality requirement ends once the Committee completes its work.

The 'sins' of sacked Chief Justice Torkornoo

“Once the proceedings are completed, the constitutional obligation to maintain confidentiality dissolves, and a countervailing obligation to disclose arises in the interest of transparency, public accountability, and the constitutional right of Ghanaians to access information on matters of public importance,” he said.

He cited several cases, including Dery v. Tiger Eye PI & Others [2015–2016] 2 SCGLR 812, where the Supreme Court affirmed that the public’s right to know, though temporarily deferred during proceedings, is not extinguished after the Committee submits its report.

Essuman also noted that several eminent Ghanaians, including former Chief Justices Sophia Akuffo and Kwasi Anin Yeboah, and legal luminaries such as Nana Dr. S.K.B. Asante, Sam Okudzeto, and Justin Amenuvor, appeared before the Committee in defence of the Chief Justice.

Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo sacked

“This is not merely a matter of curiosity. It is a matter of constitutional principle. Transparency would help safeguard the reputation of both the Judiciary and the Presidency, assure the public of the integrity of the process, and deter frivolous or politically motivated petitions against high judicial officers in the future,” he stated.

Essuman reiterated his call for President Mahama to release the full committee report, the records of proceedings including witness testimonies, the petitions and the Chief Justice’s responses, and the records of consultations with the Council of State.

“Transparency is not a threat to justice. It is its lifeblood. Let the truth come to light,” he added.

Justice Torkornoo, appointed Chief Justice in June 2023, was removed from office on Monday, September 1, 2025, by President Mahama, acting on the recommendation of a constitutional committee formed under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution to probe three petitions accusing her of misconduct in office.

JKB/MA

GhanaWeb's latest documentary, Sex for Fish, that explores the plights of teenage girls in coastal communities, all in an attempt to survive, is out. Watch it below: