In a significant development concerning the judicial system in Ghana, a citizen, Alfred Ababio Kumi, has formally petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to dissolve the five-member committee investigating petitions seeking the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo.
The petition, which centres on alleged breaches of judicial ethics and conflicts of interest, raises questions about the credibility and fairness of the ongoing Chief Justice removal petition process in Ghana.
Addressed to President Mahama and dated shortly after the committee’s inaugural sitting on May 15, 2025, the document accuses two Supreme Court Justices—Gabriel Pwamang and Samuel Adibu-Asiedu—of attending what the petitioner describes as a compromising private meeting with Thaddeus Sory, the legal representative for one of the petitioners involved in the case.
According to Kumi, the meeting took place on the evening of May 15 at Santoku Restaurant in Accra’s Airport Residential Area, and was also attended by Supreme Court Justice Yonni Kulendi.
“The meeting between Justices Pwamang, Kulendi and Asiedu with Thaddeus Sory clearly has destroyed the integrity of the process and reduced public confidence in the process so far,” the petition reads.
Kumi argued that the gathering violated standards of judicial impartiality and threatened the integrity of the constitutional inquiry.
He contended that the Supreme Court justices’ conduct amounts to a serious conflict of interest, given that Justice Pwamang had previously ruled in favour of the same petitioner represented by Mr. Sory.
In contrast, Chief Justice Torkornoo reportedly opposed such rulings in related matters.
Kumi further alleges that Justices Kulendi, Pwamang, and Adibu-Asiedu had previously expressed interest in becoming Chief Justice and were disappointed following President Akufo-Addo’s appointment of Justice Torkornoo.
“Justice Pwamang is known to be interested in becoming the Chief Justice following your election as President… Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu is also on record to have actively lobbied to be the Chief Justice after the exit of Justice Anin Yeboah,” Kumi stated.
Describing their actions as “deplorable” and “most unbecoming,” the petitioner claims that their presence on the committee undermines public confidence in Ghana’s judicial process.
The five-member investigative committee, announced by the presidency on April 22, 2025, was constituted under Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution to evaluate three petitions calling for the removal of the Chief Justice of Ghana. The committee includes
- Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang – Supreme Court Judge
- Justice Samuel Adibu-Asiedu – Supreme Court Judge
- Daniel Yao Domelevo – Former Auditor-General
- Major Flora Bazwaanura Dalugo – Ghana Armed Forces
- Professor James Sefah Dzisah – University of Ghana
Labeling the inquiry as potentially a “sham,” Kumi concludes by urging President Mahama to dissolve the judicial committee in order to preserve the integrity of the constitutional process and restore public trust in Ghana’s judiciary.
As of now, the Office of the President has not issued an official response to the petition.
