Former Ayensuano Member of Parliament, Samuel Ayeh-Paye, has urged former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo to abandon her bid to return to office, following the latest ruling by the ECOWAS Court of Justice on her case.
Speaking on Accra based Channel One TV on Thursday, November 20, he said the legal and constitutional dynamics surrounding the matter make it nearly impossible for the former Chief Justice to be reinstated, even if she obtains a favourable ruling from the regional court.
According to him, any directive from ECOWAS for her reinstatement would likely trigger counteractions from Ghana’s Supreme Court, creating further legal complications.
“I’m among those who think the former Chief Justice should accept and allow the sleeping dogs to lie and call off the fight for a comeback. From where I sit, it will be very difficult. Even if the substantive case is handled by ECOWAS and they ask her to return to her position, don’t you think the Supreme Court in Ghana will also initiate another counter ruling? If I were advising her, I would tell her to call it off and allow the system to run,” he said.
He argued that the constitutional framework in Ghana does not favour her return, stressing that even a ruling from the ECOWAS Court cannot compel the Government of Ghana to reinstate her.
“ECOWAS cannot come to Ghana to reinstate her; they can only give a ruling, and that is another matter altogether, whether the government of the day will even accept it,” he noted.
Mr Ayeh-Paye acknowledged that Justice Torkonoo had not been treated fairly during her removal process, adding that the events surrounding her ousting set a “bad precedent” for Ghana’s governance system.
His comments follow a ruling by the ECOWAS Court of Justice dismissing Justice Torkornoo’s application seeking temporary prohibition orders to halt the work of the committee that investigated her removal.
The Court also rejected a preliminary objection from the Government of Ghana, which argued that the regional court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
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