Former Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, is trending amid renewed public debate over the Judiciary’s practice of allowing certain courts to sit during the legal vacation.

The debate follows a letter from the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to the current Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, raising concerns over notices served on some law firms.

According to the GBA, it has received petitions from law firms regarding notices issued to them following warrants authorising specific judges to continue hearing criminal cases during the legal vacation.

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The development has sparked discussions about the purpose of the legal vacation and the circumstances under which courts may continue to hear cases during the period.

Several high-profile voices have also weighed in on the matter, further fuelling public interest.

It is against this backdrop that the tenure of former Chief Justice Torkornoo has resurfaced in the public discourse, with attention drawn to a decision she took during the 2023 legal vacation.

According to a report published by Starr FM in August 2023, Justice Torkornoo designated 12 of the 42 High Courts at the Law Court Complex in Accra to operate during the legal vacation.

What happened in 2023?

The Judiciary officially commenced its two-month legal vacation on August 1, 2023, with the period scheduled to end on September 30, 2023.

During the legal vacation, the superior courts- the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Courts- generally went on recess.

However, to ensure that the justice system continued to function and that urgent matters were not left unattended, Justice Torkornoo designated 12 High Courts to sit as vacation courts, alongside some lower courts.

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The designated High Courts were:

Commercial Court 2
Commercial Court 10
Criminal Court 1
Criminal Court 3
General Jurisdiction Court 12
General Jurisdiction Court 9
General Jurisdiction Court 6
General Jurisdiction Court 3
Financial Court 2
Land Court 10
Land Court 3
Probate Court 3

The judges designated to preside over the courts were:

Justice Francis Obiri – Commercial Court 2

Justice Adelaide Abui Keddey – Commercial Court 10

Justice Ruby Aryeetey – Criminal Court 1

Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh – Criminal Court 3

Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah – General Jurisdiction Court 12

Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay – General Jurisdiction Court 9

Justice Abena Amponsah Buansi – General Jurisdiction Court 6

Justice Marian Affoh – General Jurisdiction Court 3

Justice Edward Twum – Financial Court 2

Justice Kwame Gyamfi Osei – Land Court 10

Justice Jennifer Anne Myers Ahmed – Land Court 3

Justice Sarah Aryee – Probate Court 3

The 2023 arrangement has now come under renewed attention as lawyers and other stakeholders debate the extent to which courts should continue sitting during the legal vacation.

The current controversy has therefore brought the issue of legal vacation back into the spotlight, with the Judiciary and the legal profession expected to clarify the circumstances under which judges may be authorised to hear cases during the period.

Read the full 2023 publication here.

The Chief Justice (CJ), Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, has designated 12 out of the 42 High Courts within the Law Court Complex in Accra to operate during the legal vacation.

The Judiciary officially begins a two-month legal vacation today, August 1, 2023, up until the last day of September 30, 2023.

This means that the superior courts, namely the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, and the High Courts, would be on recess.

However, in order not to create a vacuum, the Chief Justice has designated 12 of the High Courts to sit in the court of the vacation, in addition to some of the lower courts.

The 12 High Courts sitting over the course of the legal vacation are Commercial Court 2, Commercial Court 10, Criminal Court 1, Criminal Court 3, General Jurisdiction Court 12, General Jurisdiction Court 9, General Jurisdiction Court 6, General Jurisdiction Court 3, Financial Court 2, Land Court 10, Land Court 3, and Probate Court 3.

Below are the presiding judges of those courts sitting during the vacation

1\. His Lordship Justice Francis Obiri (Commercial Court)

2\. Her Ladyship Justice Adelaide Abui Keddey (Commercial Court 10),

3\. Her Ladyship Justice Ruby Aryeetey (Criminal Court 1),

4\. Her Ladyship Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh (Criminal Court)

5\. His Lordship Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah (General Jurisdiction 12)

6\. Her Ladyship Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay (General Jurisdiction 9)

7\. Her Ladyship Justice Abena Amponsah Buansi (General Jurisdiction 6)

8\. Her Ladyship Justice Marian Affoh (General Jurisdiction 3)

9\. His Lordship Justice Edward Twum (Financial Court 2)

10\. His Lordship Justice Kwame Gyamfi Osei (Land Court 10)

11\. Her Ladyship Justice Jennifer Anne Myers Ahmed, (Land Court 3)

12\. Her Ladyship Justice Sarah Aryee (Probate Court 3).

VKB/MA

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