President John Dramani Mahama has removed Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo — head of the Judiciary and one of the three arms of government — from office with immediate effect, following the recommendations of the Article 146 Committee of Inquiry.
The decision was announced in a statement from the Presidency on September 1, 2025, after the Committee found that grounds of “stated misbehaviour” had been established.
The five-member panel, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Pwamang, was constituted under Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution after three petitions were lodged earlier this year seeking the removal of the Chief Justice. Other members included Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu, former Auditor-General Daniel Yaw Domelevo, Major Flora Bazaanura Dalugo, and Associate Professor James Sefah Dzisah.
Presenting the report to the President, Justice Pwamang stressed that the Committee had acted strictly within its constitutional mandate.
“Our remit as set out under Article 146 is clear — to inquire into the petitions in camera, hear the person against whom the petitions have been brought, and then to make a recommendation to the President,” he said. He added that the Committee had restrained itself from responding to public commentary throughout the hearings.
On the first petition, filed by a citizen, the Committee heard 13 witnesses and received over 10,000 pages of documents. The Chief Justice also mounted her defence, personally testifying and calling 12 witnesses, including experts.
“After critical and dispassionate examination of all the evidence against the provisions of the Constitution and relevant laws, we have, without fear or favour, arrived at a recommendation,” Justice Pwamang told the President.
Although the second petitioner and the Chief Justice jointly requested an adjournment of the next hearing — a request the Committee granted — the findings on the first petition alone were sufficient to warrant a decision.
“The recommendation is contained in this envelope which we hereby hand over to you,” Justice Pwamang said during the presentation at Jubilee House.
The Presidency confirmed the Chief Justice’s removal in a statement signed by Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
“After considering the petition and the evidence, the Committee found that the grounds of stated misbehaviour under Article 146(1) had been established and recommended her removal from office. Under Article 146(9), the President is required to act in accordance with the Committee’s recommendation,” the statement said.
The removal of Justice Sackey Torkornoo is one of the most consequential decisions in Ghana’s Fourth Republic, marking only the second time a sitting Chief Justice has faced removal under Article 146. The Committee is expected to continue its work on the two outstanding petitions in the coming months.
