The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has granted an application by former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo to amend her ongoing case challenging her suspension to also include her subsequent removal from office as a Supreme Court Justice and Chief Justice of Ghana.
Mrs. Torkornoo filed the original suit at the ECOWAS Court on July 4, 2025, alleging human rights violations arising from her suspension on April 22, 2025, and seeking, among other reliefs, US$10 million in damages.
At a hearing held on Friday, January 30, counsel for the former Chief Justice, led by renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana, applied to withdraw an earlier motion that sought a default judgment against the Republic of Ghana for failing to file a statement of defence. Falana explained that the application had become unnecessary, as the State had since filed its response.
The legal team subsequently informed the court of a motion to amend the original application. Falana told the court that while the initial suit was pending, his client had been removed from the Supreme Court and dismissed as Chief Justice, making it necessary to expand the scope of the case to address the new developments.
He argued that proceeding separately with challenges to the suspension and the removal would amount to a waste of judicial time and confirmed that the amended application had already been served on the Republic of Ghana.
However, counsel for the State, Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, opposed the amendment, contending that it would unnecessarily broaden the issues before the court and delay the determination of the case. He further rejected claims that the removal process was unlawful, noting that an earlier application seeking to halt the process had been dismissed by the court, thereby allowing the State to proceed.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the three-member panel of judges granted the application to amend the suit and directed the Deputy Attorney-General to file a response to the amended case within 30 days.
The matter has been adjourned to a date to be communicated to the parties.
Source: 3news
