Deputy Attorney-General Calls for Restraint in CJ Torkornoo’s Suspension Debate
Don't Rush to Judgement on CJ, Says Deputy A-G
Deputy Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Dr. Justice Srem Sai, has called for restraint in public discourse surrounding the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, emphasizing that the mere establishment of a prima facie case does not equate to a finding of guilt.
Speaking in an interview amidst the intense public debate following the announcement of the Chief Justice’s suspension, Dr. Srem Sai cautioned against hasty conclusions. “At this stage, we are not even sure whether the allegations are proven,” he stated.
“Establishing that a case exists to answer, that is, the prima facie case has been moved out. That doesn’t actually mean that the Chief Justice is guilty of the allegations. It only means that the allegations are not frivolous.”
Dr. Srem Sai characterized the matter as a technical and legal issue governed strictly by constitutional provisions, urging the public to refrain from politicizing the process.
His comments come in response to heightened political commentary from both sides of the political spectrum. Members of the minority in Parliament, from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), held a press conference on Tuesday, calling for the reinstatement of the Chief Justice, describing her suspension as unjust and politically motivated. They argued that the suspension undermines the independence of the judiciary and sets a dangerous precedent.
Dr. Srem Sai also addressed an earlier comment made by former Deputy Attorney-General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, who described the Council of State’s advice to suspend Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo as “poisonous.” He questioned the fairness of such remarks, particularly given the lack of access to the petition and its contents.
“If you have not seen the petition and the content, which I have not seen, and he has also not seen, it would be very unfair to describe persons on the Council of State in such terms,” he said. “I think we all know the composition of the Council of State. To suggest that they have ‘poisoned’ the system with a petition, merely by saying that there is a case to answer, I think that is unfortunate.”
“I would not be in a hurry to politicize or to condemn anyone’s actions at this point,” he added. “But let’s hope that, at least so far, the processes have been complied with, and there are more steps ahead. We should be watchful of those steps.”
He affirmed that his office would continue to monitor the process to ensure that constitutional provisions are respected. “If the process breaches the procedures provided by the Constitution, of course, we will be the first to say that this is unconstitutional. But for now, I think the processes have been complied with so far,” he stated.
