Justice Gertrude Torkornoo approved as Chief Justice of Ghana

Parliament has officially approved the nomination of Justice Gertrude Torkornoo as the new Chief Justice of Ghana.

The decision was made after the Appointments Committee of Parliament unanimously endorsed her candidacy following her vetting on May 26, 2023.

President Akufo-Addo nominated Justice Torkornoo in April 2023 to succeed Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, who retired from the position on May 24.

During the debate on the committee’s report before her confirmation by the house, the Minority Chief Whip, Governs Kwame Aybodza, urged Justice Torkornoo to surpass the performance of her predecessor, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, who he claimed left behind a legacy of miscarriages of justice.

The Minority initially suspended its consensus approval of the Chief Justice nominee, pending the full judgment of the Supreme Court on the dual citizenship case involving James Gyakye Quayson, the former Member of Parliament for Assin North.

However, addressing the media on Tuesday, June 6, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, stated that the minority caucus disagrees with the ruling of the apex court but will not withhold its approval of the Chief Justice nominee.

“The nominee for the post of Chief Justice (Justice Gertrude Araba Essaba Torkornoo) told the whole world that she is a textualist in her preferred approach to interpreting the Constitution of Ghana 1992,” he said.

With her confirmation, Justice Torkornoo becomes the first female Chief Justice in Ghana’s history.

Her appointment has been praised as a significant milestone for gender equality and the empowerment of women in Ghana’s judiciary.

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh