There was a brief heated moment in Parliament as the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, criticized the committee that recommended the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, describing its work as “a travesty of justice.”
Speaking during the vetting of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, the nominee for Chief Justice, Afenyo-Markin expressed deep concern about what he called a lack of transparency surrounding the process.
“What the committee did amounts to a travesty of justice,” he declared.
He continued, “It’s the Minority’s view that the process leading to the removal of Madam Torkornoo was clothed in some opaque circumstances, unacceptable.”
The Minority Leader argued that the matter went beyond a mere appointment, suggesting that the independence of Ghana’s judiciary was at stake.
“We gather to vet the disputed nominee for the office of Chief Justice.
“This is a case of whether Ghana’s judiciary will remain independent,” he said, adding, “It’s the Minority’s view to describe Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as the disputed Chief Justice.”
His comments, however, sparked an immediate response from the Majority side.
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga swiftly objected to Afenyo-Markin’s phrasing, calling it misleading and inappropriate.
“I am objecting to the term ‘dispute’ because there is no dispute regarding the nominee before us,” Ayariga countered.
“There is no dispute about his nomination. You have no right to look into my face and refer to him as a disputed nominee.”
