Nii Lantey Vanderpuye has stirred debate with pointed remarks about the character of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, suggesting that her public image may not reflect what is whispered behind closed doors in Ghana’s judicial corridors.
The National Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) acknowledged the Chief Justice’s respectable public persona but hinted at troubling reports circulating within legal circles.
“I have a lot of respect for the Chief Justice. Sometimes you see her and she portrays an angelic face, other times something else,” he said on Channel One TV.
“The things some of us hear and some of the people like me have picked up from some of the people who are close to the judicial system will tell you that all that glitters is not gold.”
His comments come at a time when the Chief Justice is facing petitions that question her conduct—a matter Vanderpuye insists should be left to the constitutional process rather than public speculation.
Still, his statement underscores an apparent contradiction between perception and alleged reality.
“She is not as saintly as some of us have perceived her to be. I will not sit here and prejudge her, but I will give her the benefit of the doubt and sit here and believe that the things that I have heard about her and how she behaves were not true,” he added.
By walking the line between reverence and suspicion, Vanderpuye’s remarks shine a light on the complex reputational terrain that high-ranking judicial figures often navigate.
While calling for calm and due process, his statements subtly introduce doubt into the public discourse, complicating the narrative surrounding the Chief Justice at a delicate political moment.
