The ECOWAS Court of Justice has dismissed former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo’s request to temporarily stop the work of the committee investigating her removal from office.
The ruling on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, also rejected a preliminary objection from the Government of Ghana, which claimed the regional court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.
Justice Torkonoo had filed the application after a committee, chaired by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, was appointed to investigate the circumstances that led to her suspension and the eventual swearing-in of Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.
While the ECOWAS Court acknowledged that Torkonoo presented a prima facie human rights claim, it ruled she failed to demonstrate urgency, a requirement for temporary prohibition orders. The judges noted that although she was suspended on April 22, 2025, she waited three months before filing the motion, weakening her argument of imminent or irreparable harm.
The Court also dismissed Ghana’s Attorney General’s argument that the matter was sub judice because related proceedings were before a Ghanaian court. According to the judges, the case involves alleged human rights violations during her suspension and removal, not a review of Ghanaian court decisions.
As a result, Torkonoo’s request to halt the probe was denied, but the Court declared her main application admissible, ordering the Attorney General to file a formal response.
