President Akufo-Addo has urged the newly appointed Chief Justice of the Republic, Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, to do everything in her power to ensure that her tenure as Chief Justice of the Republic is marked by order, fairness, and unwavering respect for the rule of law.

He also charged Chief Justice Torkornoo with carrying on the expansion of the judicial service infrastructure programme begun by her immediate predecessor, Chief Justice (rtd) Anin Yeboah, and making the modernization of judicial functions her top priority during her tenure as Chief Justice.

High expectations

At a swearing-in ceremony held on Monday (12 June 2023) at a temporary auditorium constructed at Jubilee House, the country’s presidency, President Akufo-Addo delivered the Chief Justice the charge after giving the Oaths of Allegiance and Secrecy and the Judicial Oath to her.

“I have no doubt that Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo will be an effective leader of the judiciary, zealously defend its independence, constantly uphold its dignity, and be a worthy successor to Chief Justice Anin Yeboah,” he said.

“I am expectant that her tenure as Chief Justice will also be marked by order, fairness, diligence, deep-seated respect for the rule of law, and continuation of the modernisation of judicial functions and the expansion of judicial infrastructure,” President Akufo-Addo said.

Assurance of support

President Akufo-Addo promised Chief Justice Torkornoo and the whole Judicial Service in his statement that his administration will continue to provide the service with all essential assistance in carrying out their constitutional mission.

“I want to assure Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo that, just as I did with her predecessor, I will be a dependable and trustworthy partner of the judiciary, so that the executive and judiciary can work together in the spirit of mutual respect to consolidate the tenets of good governance for the benefit of the Ghanaian people,” Akufo-Addo said.

Overly qualified

On the new Chief Justice’s qualifications, President Akufo-Addo stated that the Council of State and every other body that participated in her nomination and approval vouch for her ability and credentials to serve as Chief Justice.

“The choice of Mrs Gertrude Torkornoo as the 15th Chief Justice was not a particularly difficult one to make, in view of her level of qualification, the number of years served with distinction on the bench in the superior courts of judicature, totalling 19 years – initially in the high court, then at the Court of Appeal and finally at the Supreme Court – and the considerable experience garnered as a result,” President Akufo-Addo said.

“In 2004, she was appointed by the second president of the Fourth Republic, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, my own boss, to the high court, where she served for eight years.

“In October 2012, she was appointed by the fourth president of the Fourth Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, as a justice of the Court of Appeal, a position she held for seven years.

“I had the honour on 17 December 2019 to appoint her to the Supreme Court. All three living presidents of the republic have each had a hand in her judicial advancement,” President Akufo-Addo said.

Budgetary support

Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo accepted the duty to head the court, the third branch of government, “with utmost humility and a sense of deep obligation to the nation” in her investiture comments.

She promised to do everything she could for the Republic of Ghana.

Chief Justice Torkornoo also stated that the judiciary’s budget needs to be increased in order for the service to expand its infrastructure, particularly through its automation and digitalisation agenda, because “unquestionably, the efficiency of court processes and administration is assured with more deliberate use of technology.”

“As Chief Justice, I wish to express my determination to relentlessly seek the support of the legislature in matters of the budget of the judiciary and the support of both the executive and legislature for accelerated infrastructure in technology, and for innovative models of doing business with technology,” she said.

“The expansion of electronically accessed library services will require support. An increase in the percentage returned to the Judicial Service from our internally generated funds will greatly help to accelerate the work that needs to be done,” the Chief Justice argued.

“The raising of facilities to create world-class centres of judicial learning and exhibition of historical accounts around the development of justice systems will be a target for revenue creation,” Chief Justice Torkornoo added.

Legal education

Concerning legal education, Chief Justice Torkornoo stated that her statutory obligations “extend beyond the administration of justice to include oversight of legal learning as chair of the General Legal Council and the Board of Legal Education.”

According to Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, “The development of democracy has placed greater emphasis on the learning of law.”

“I stretch a humble hand to the Bar, institutions of legal learning, legislature and all stakeholders to assist with interventions for raising standards of excellence in the training of lawyers,” the Chief Justice said.

“For the danger of bad lawyering lies not only in losses for those represented but also decreased values in the nation’s economy. In assuring of quality legal learning, we can only win together,” she said.

Profile of CJ Torkornoo

Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo is from Winneba in Ghana’s Central Region. She was born in Cape Coast on September 11, 1962. Wesley Girls’ High School (for her Ordinary Level certificate) and Achimota School (for her Advanced Level certificate) were her secondary schools.

She attended the University of Ghana and graduated from the Ghana School of Law in 1986. Torkornoo worked as a volunteer at the FIDA Legal Aid Service and interned at Nabarro Nathanson in London before joining Fugar & Co as a pupil associate.

In 1994, she returned to Fugar & Co as its director.

She joined Sozo Law Consult in January 1997 and served as managing partner until May 2004, when she was nominated to the Ghana High Court. She served on the Supreme Court until October 2012, when she was promoted to the Court of Appeal.

She was a Court of Appeal justice until her nomination for the position of Supreme Court Judge in November 2019. She was sworn in on December 17, 2019.

Torkornoo previously served as a supervising judge of the commercial courts, chair of the editorial committee of the Association of Magistrates and Judges, and chief editor for the Development of Judicial Ethics Training Manual.

She is also a vice-chair of the e-justice steering/oversight committee, vice-chair of the judiciary’s internship and clerkship programme, a faculty member of the Judicial Training Institute, and a member of the Judicial Training Institute’s governing board.

Source: Asaaseradio.com