No one can force CJ to resign, she'll assert her rights - Godfred Dame

Former Attorney General Godfred Dame claims the removal proceedings against Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Torkornoo are flawed.

Mr. Dame is also the Chief Justice's lawyer. He argues that due process and constitutional principles have been ignored.

He spoke outside the court in Accra after another defeat for his client. This defeat was in her attempt to stop the five-member committee investigating three petitions for her removal.

On May 28, the Supreme Court dismissed her injunction application against the committee. This ruling came shortly after her supplementary affidavit was also struck out.

Some critics suggest that the Chief Justice should resign to avoid further trouble. However, her lawyer disagrees with this view.

Godfred Dame told journalists that resignation is not an option. He emphasized that "due process, rule of law, and constitutionalism must prevail in Ghana."

He stated that pressure should not influence decisions regarding the Chief Justice's position. Upholding the rule of law is crucial, he added.

Gertrude Torkornoo filed an application at the Supreme Court on May 21. She sought to restrain a committee set up by President John Mahama to investigate petitions for her removal.

In her suit, she requested an injunction to halt all committee proceedings until a final decision is made.

Court documents reveal she wanted an order preventing a six-member committee from proceeding with inquiries against her. The committee includes Justices Gabriel Scott Pwamang and Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu.

Additionally, she sought to bar these justices from participating in any deliberations of the committee. She also asked for a suspension of her warrant for suspension issued by the President under Article 146(10) of the Constitution until a final determination is reached.

Other legal actions taken against the committee's processes have been dismissed by the Supreme Court.