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CJ Torkornoo to ECOWAS Court: award $10 million compensation for suspension
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Suspended Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo is asking the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Court of West Africa States (ECOWAS) to award her $10 million as compensation for damage to her reputation following her suspension by President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
Justice Torkonoo also filed two applications at the Court seeking enforcement of her human rights over what she says was a blatant disregard to her right for a fair hearing guaranteed by both the Ghana’s 1992 constitution and the 1991 protocol of the Community Court of Justice.
The main application and the motion for provisional measures were filed and received at the registry of the Community Court of Justice in Abuja, Nigeria, on Friday, 4 July 2025.
It was filed by Femi Falana San of Falana and Falana Chambers in Nigeria, for and on behalf of the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo.
The applications have been served on Ghana through the Minister for Justice and Attorney General.
Ghana, per the rules of the Community Court of Justice, has five days to respond to the motion for provisional measures and 30 days to respond to the main application seeking the enforcement of the fundamental human rights of the Chief Justice.
Among others, the Chief Justice contends in her application that the violation of her right to fair hearing is grounded in the fact that she was not given a copy of either the supposed prima facie determination or the reasons for the making of a prima facie finding by the President before she was suspended by the President and the disciplinary committee formed.
The application further posits that the President’s purported prima facie determination, as communicated in the letter to CJ Torkornoo dated 22 April 2025, contained no reasons or justification for stating that a prima case has been established against her, and was entirely devoid of the elements of judicial or quasi-judicial reasoning expected under the Constitution.
“Fairness implies that the President, in making the prima facie determination with the Council of State, must specify the particular charges in respect of which a prima facie case is deemed to have been established and the reasons for the same.
“The President’s letter failed to do this. It simply stated that a prima facie has been found against the Applicant without more. To date, the Applicant does not know the reasons for the President stating that a prima facie case has been established against her.
“Yet a committee has been formed and is working. The President’s purported prima facie determination was no determination at all, as it failed to meet the standard of a judicious and objective assessment and, as such, was arbitrary and capricious,” the application of the Chief Justice read in part.
To this end, Chief Justice Torkornoo is seeking ten reliefs from the Community Court of Justice, including a “declaration that the suspension of the applicant (Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo) as the Chief Justice of Ghana by the President of Ghana on April 22, 2025 violated the Applicant’s human rights to a fair hearing guaranteed by Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights
The Chief Justice asked for declaration that the panel instituted by the President of Ghana to investigate and determine the allegations of misconduct against the applicant was not constituted to guarantee its independence and impartiality and as such has violated the applicant’s human right to fair hearing guaranteed by Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Justice Torkonoo is further seeking a declaration that the purported suspension of the applicant as the Chief Justice of Ghana by the President of Ghana constitutes a violation of her human right to fair equitable and satisfactory conditions guaranteed by Article 15 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
A declaration that the purported suspension of the applicant as the Chief Justice of Ghana by the President of Ghana has exposed her to public ridicule and odium locally and internationally and the said act constitutes a violation of her human right to dignity guaranteed by Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.”
A declaration that by subjecting the applicant to an illegal and unfair investigation and trial since April 2025, the Respondent has inflicted injuries on her professional standing and image, thereby ‘exposing her and her family to immeasurable public ridicule.”
Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo was suspended from office by the President, John Dramani Mahama, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
The president’s actions, which are said to be grounded in Article 146 (10) of the 1992 constitution, were primarily inspired by three petitions that the president received seeking the removal of the Chief Justice from office.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
Global Board Chairman of the International Youth Network for United Nations Security Council Resolution (IYNUNSCR)2250, Hopeson Yaovi Adorye, has called on young people across the world to take deliberate action in building peace, justice, and sustainable development.
Delivering the keynote address at the IYNUNSCR2250 Global Youth Assembly held in Accra over the weekend, Mr. Adorye told the gathering of youth leaders that this generation stands at a “defining moment” in history.
He noted that while the world faces rising conflicts, violent extremism, climate pressures, cybercrime, and political polarization, young people are not just victims of these crises.
“The adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 marked a historic turning point by recognizing that young people are simply victims of conflict but indispensable partners in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, mediation, reconciliation, and post-conflict recovery,” he said.
He stressed that peace cannot be taken for granted.
“Peace must be intentionally built. Peace must be protected. Peace must be sustained. More importantly, peace must include everyone,” Mr.Adorye stated.
He defined true peace as more than the absence of war, it exists where justice prevails, human rights are respected, institutions are accountable, and women and youth participate fully in decision-making.
“Without justice, peace remains fragile. Without development, peace remains temporary. Without inclusion, peace remains incomplete,” he added.
Turning to Africa, Mr.Adorye described the continent’s youthful population as its “greatest strategic asset” and not a burden.
“When governments invest in education, entrepreneurship, innovation, digital skills, healthcare, and good governance, young people become drivers of economic growth and democratic stability,” he said.
He warned that the absence of these opportunities creates frustration and conditions that threaten peace and security.
According to him, “Investing in youth is investing in peace. Investing in education is investing in national security. Investing in jobs is investing in stability.”
The Global Board Chairman urged delegates to move beyond advocacy and become practical agents of change. He challenged them to reject corruption, political violence, hate speech, tribalism, and misinformation.
“Let us use social media to educate rather than inflame. To unite rather than divide. The digital world should become a platform for peace, innovation, and global cooperation,” he said.
He further tasked IYNUNSCR2250 members to mentor vulnerable youth, promote mediation, advocate for peaceful elections, support environmental protection, and empower women and girls.
He further added that “History will judge our generation not by the challenges we inherited but by the solutions we created,” Hon. Adorye concluded. “May our voices become voices of reconciliation. May our actions become instruments of peace.”
The Assembly, hosted under the leadership of IYNUNSCR2250 Global President Her Excellency Rev. Dr. Lilian Sally Addo, brought together youth leaders, members of the Global Advisory Board, and distinguished guests to advance the youth, peace, and security agenda.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Two people have died and eight others sustained injuries following a road traffic accident at Dompoase, near Komenda on the Cape Coast-Takoradi highway on Thursday, July 31, 2026.
According to a statement from the Ghana National Fire Service, Central Region, the Komenda Fire Station received a distress call at 18:55hrs. Rescue personnel arrived at the scene 15 minutes later at 19:10hrs.
On arrival, fire officers found one person trapped in a crashed Toyota Hiace with registration number AS 6145-24.
The rescue team worked to extricate the victim, but the person was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Preliminary information indicates that 10 people were on board the Hiace at the time of the crash. Apart from the two fatalities, eight others sustained various degrees of injury.
Three of the injured were said to be in severe condition.
Personnel from the National Ambulance Service transported all the injured to the Elmina Polyclinic for medical care.
An eyewitness at the scene told officials that the accident occurred when an unidentified vehicle traveling from Takoradi towards Cape Coast* attempted to overtake another vehicle.
In an attempt to avoid a head-on collision, the Toyota Hiace, which was traveling from Cape Coast towards Takoradi, swerved and crashed into a broken-down truck with registration number GN 2491-14 that was parked by the roadside.
The Central Regional Fire Command has advised drivers to exercise patience and extra caution on the highway, especially during overtaking and in areas where broken-down vehicles may be present.
“Such incidents can be prevented if road users obey traffic regulations and remain alert,” the statement said.
The identities of the deceased have not yet been released pending notification of next of kin.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
