Amid mounting public scrutiny over perceived conflict of interest, former Attorney General Godfred Dame has risen to the defense of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, asserting that she has every legal right to appoint him as her counsel.
Speaking on Movement TV’s Inside Politics with Kwaku Dawuro, Dame dismissed the criticisms as baseless, stating, “Can’t the CJ pick her lawyer at a time she is disturbed? I am not conflicted… There is no basis for conflict of interest.”
According to Dame, who has long been an advocate for judicial independence, the Chief Justice’s decision to select him as her legal representative is both lawful and appropriate, particularly in light of what he described as unfair treatment meted out to her in recent times.
“When I was Attorney General, I always spoke on judicial independence.
“It is dear to my heart; I have always been talking about it,” he emphasized, adding that it was time for “people who have conscience and good heart for the country [to] stand up for what is right.”
His comments follow the dramatic suspension of Chief Justice Torkornoo by President John Dramani Mahama, based on Article 146(10) of the 1992 Constitution.
The decision, reportedly triggered by three separate petitions submitted to the presidency, has sparked fierce public debate and drawn sharp reactions from legal and political circles.
