A fit of childlike indiscretion – Martin Amidu slams CJ over leaked court affidavit

Former Attorney General Martin Amidu has criticized Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. He accuses her of trying to manipulate public opinion. This is part of her legal battle against removal from office.

In an open letter, Amidu condemned the Chief Justice for filing a supplementary affidavit on May 26, 2025. This was while her initial suit from May 21 was still pending in the Supreme Court. He claims she did this without the court's permission.

Amidu wrote that the Chief Justice filed a supplementary affidavit containing scandalous materials. He argues these materials were not based on facts and were leaked to the media. The goal was to stir public sentiment and influence the Court’s judgment.

He stated that she knew these materials should not be included in an affidavit. Yet, she proceeded in what he called “a fit of childlike indiscretion.” This was an attempt to gain public support.

Amidu explained that her actions contradicted established Supreme Court decisions. Removal petitions against superior court judges must be held privately, not publicly.

He argued that the Chief Justice tried to persuade the Supreme Court to overrule its own previous decisions. She wanted a public hearing despite existing binding decisions of the Court.

Amidu specifically criticized paragraphs 6 to 11 of her supplementary affidavit. These referred to alleged events from private committee proceedings. The Supreme Court had ruled such details must remain confidential until proceedings are concluded.

He emphasized that these details are ethically and professionally prohibited from being made public under an affidavit.

Amidu also recalled a recent ruling in Vincent Assafuah v Attorney-General on May 6, 2025. In this case, the Court refused to suspend presidential functions, stating it was not an exceptional situation warranting such action.