The Human Rights Division of the High Court has dismissed a judicial review application filed by suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, describing it as an “abuse of court processes.”
Delivering the ruling on Thursday, July 30, 2025, Presiding Judge Justice Kwame Amoako held that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter, adding that the claims raised in the application overlapped with issues already pending before the Supreme Court.
Justice Torkornoo had filed the application on June 9, 2025, seeking nine separate reliefs. Among them were declarations that the committee investigating her under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution had acted unlawfully. She also sought to quash the committee’s proceedings and to prohibit it from continuing unless she was furnished with authenticated copies of the petitions and her responses.
This ruling marks the second legal setback for Justice Torkornoo in her bid to halt the impeachment process initiated against her. An earlier request for an injunction—intended to pause the proceedings until the Supreme Court rules on her pending constitutional interpretation case—was also dismissed.
The Attorney-General’s Office had filed a motion on July 1, 2025, urging the court to strike out the application. It argued that the judicial review was procedurally flawed, constituted duplicative litigation, and posed a risk of judicial overreach.
In his judgment, Justice Amoako agreed with the Attorney-General’s position, emphasizing that the High Court could not interfere in the work of the committee established under Article 146. He noted that, according to Article 146(8), such proceedings are to be held in-camera and are shielded from external review.
The ruling effectively clears the way for the impeachment process to continue, even as the Supreme Court deliberates on the constitutional questions raised by Justice Torkornoo in a separate case
