Perception that judges do the bidding of appointing authorities is wrong – Gertrude Torkornoo

Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo, a nominee for the position of chief justice, has stated that it is incorrect to assume that judges in Ghana follow the orders of those who appoint them.

She clarified that judges work for all Ghanaians, not only the people who nominate them.

She responded during her vetting on Friday, May 26, in response to a question from Madina Lawmaker Francis Xavier Sosu that "it is a wrong perception because the load of our work is in respect of the ordinary Ghanaian, it hardly has anything to do with appointing authorities." This is in reference to the perception that judges, particularly the Justices of the Supreme Court, do the appointing authorities' bidding.

She said that she will use the media to "connect consistently with the Ghanaian population about how the adjudication of justice” is done in order to erase such perception.


Regarding the strike by the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG), she said that the process is ongoing to resolve the issues.




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Speaking during her vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Friday, May 26, she said a lot of stakeholders including the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the President are involved in the process of resolving their issues.


“The process is very much ONgoing, yesterday there was a meeting,” she told the committee.


JUSAG declared an indefinite strike effective Wednesday, May 24 over the failure of the government to approve reviewed salaries and other allowances.