Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo
President Akufo-Addo’s pick for Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, is set to go before the Appointments Committee of Parliament, which has set in motion the confirmation hearing by requesting memoranda on the nominee from the public.
The Committee, chaired by First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, has directed for all memos to be submitted to the Clerk to the Appointments Committee on the 2nd Floor, Job 600 Annex of Parliament House in Accra.
In a notice to the public, the Committee said the deadline for the submission of the memoranda is Friday, May 19, 2023.
Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo was nominated Chief Justice by President Akufo-Addo, pursuant to Article 144 of the 1992 Constitution, to replace Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah who will reach the statutory retirement age of 70 on May 24, 2023.
In accordance with Standing Order 172 of the Parliament of Ghana, the Speaker referred the nomination to the Appointments Committee for consideration, report and approval of the House.
The MPs had been recalled from recess to deal with some urgent financial agreements when a communication from the presidency on the nomination was read to them.
Justice Torkornoo would become Ghana’s third female Chief Justice, following in the footsteps of Justices Georgina Theodora Wood and Sophia Akuffo, when approved by Parliament.
And Justice Torkornoo would be President Akufo-Addo’s third Chief Justice appointment since assuming office in January 2017.
President Akufo-Addo explained in a letter to the House that he decided to initiate the process in order to avoid a vacuum in the office of Chief Justice.
“To that end, by letter, dated April 25, 2023, pursuant to Article 144 (1) of the Constitution, I consulted with the Council of State on my nominee, Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, Justice of the Supreme Court, who has been on the Supreme Court for the last four (4) years, and has been a member of the judiciary for the last 19 years, to succeed Chief Justice Anin-Yeboah,” the letter read in part.
The President continued, “The Council of State has notified me by letter under the hand of its Chairperson, dated April 28, 2023, of the successful completion of the consultation process.”
“Thus, in accordance with Article 144 (1) of the Constitution, I write to inform you that I have nominated Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, Justice of the Supreme Court, for approval by Parliament, as the next Chief Justice,” he added.
Justice Torkornoo was sworn in as a Supreme Court judge on December 17, 2019 after receiving parliamentary approval.
She was also the supervising judge of the Commercial Courts in Ghana.
Born in Cape Coast to Abraham Kofi Sackey and Comfort Aba Sackey, Justice Torkornoo joined the bench in 2004.
Justice Torkornoo was appointed to the Court of Appeal in October 2012 before her elevation to the Supreme Court.
She attended Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast, where she earned her GCE Ordinary Level Certificate.
She subsequently went to Achimota School to complete her Advanced Level Certificate.
Her first degree was in Law and Sociology from the University of Ghana, and she graduated from the Professional Course in Law at the Ghana School of Law in 1986.
By Ernest Kofi Adu