By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has nominated Madam Gertrude Araba Esabaa Torkornoo, a Justice of the Supreme Court, as the next Chief Justice of Ghana.
Justice Torkornoo will replace Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah as the new Chief Justice after her nomination is subject to approval by Ghana’s Parliament.
When given the green light by Parliament, Justice Torkornoo will replace Justice Anin Yeboah, who retires as Ghana’s Chief Justice on May 24, 2023, as he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 for justices of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
In a letter to the Council of State, President Akufo-Addo said Justice Torkornoo, who has been “on the Supreme Court for the last four years (4) and has been a member of the Judiciary for the last nineteen (19) years, is duly qualified and eminently fit to discharge the functions of Chief Justice.”
Justice Torkornoo will become the third female Chief Justice in history, following in the footsteps of Justices Georgina Theodora Wood and Sophia Akuffo.
Justice Torkornoo will be President Akufo-Addo’s third appointment to the office of Chief Justice since he assumed office in January 2017.