The President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has criticised former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo following her removal from office, arguing that her actions amounted to serious financial misconduct that could have attracted jail time in other countries.
Justice Torkornoo was dismissed by President John Dramani Mahama on September 1, 2025, acting on the recommendation of an Article 146 Committee. The committee found her guilty of financial misconduct after she charged the Judicial Service for personal travel, including trips to Tanzania with her husband and to the United States with her daughter.
According to the report, per diem allowances were unlawfully paid to her family members—a practice the committee described as a “reckless dissipation of public funds” and “unjustifiable in law or policy.”
Speaking on Channel One TV on Saturday, September 6, Mr Cudjoe described the misconduct as an “unwarranted imprest.” He rejected arguments that Justice Torkornoo should have relied on finance officers for guidance, stressing that her position as head of the judiciary required accountability.
“She was the head of the judiciary; she knows the law. In other countries, she would have been in jail by now,” he said, while urging the public to avoid politicising the matter.
A statement issued by Presidential Spokesperson and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, confirmed that the removal took immediate effect in accordance with Article 146(9) of the 1992 Constitution.
