The Member of Parliament for Suame, John Darko, has launched a scathing critique of President John Dramani Mahama over the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, claiming the decision is driven purely by political motives rather than any genuine legal grounds.
“I have maintained that we are just circling the issue. We can talk about the law and the GBA, Association of Lawyers and others, but as for me, my point has always been that we as a country, we have now decided that the independence of judiciary means now to us by this act of suspension of the CJ and the defense by the members of the public, especially our friends in the NDC,” Mr. Darko stated during an appearance on Channel One TV’s political programme The Big Issue.
The Suame MP dismissed any legal justification for the suspension, arguing that the move is part of a larger political strategy by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to undermine the judiciary’s independence.
“The heart of this is politics. There is nothing legal about this. You can talk about the execution of Article 143, whatever, but it is the politics of it which is at play.
“This is a political agenda by the NDC being properly executed,” he charged.
While the presidency has defended the suspension as being in line with Article 146(6) of the Constitution, critics, especially within the New Patriotic Party (NPP), view it as an unconstitutional interference in the affairs of the judiciary.
