Prominent legal practitioner Thaddeus Sory has urged the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to abandon what he describes as “rhetorical outrage” over the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo and instead pursue legal action if it believes the move by President John Dramani Mahama is unconstitutional.
In a sharply worded legal opinion shared via Facebook under the title “Revoke and Suspend the Bar”, Sory dissected the GBA’s April 26 resolution, which called for the revocation of the Chief Justice’s suspension and the withdrawal of a directive issued by the Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie on case assignments.
Sory argued that the GBA’s demands were not only legally flawed but contradicted their past silence on similar administrative decisions. He emphasized that Article 146(10) of the Constitution clearly outlines the President’s power to suspend the Chief Justice, acting upon the advice of the Council of State — a procedure he says was followed.
“There is no need for threats or rhetorical outrage. If the Bar believes it has a case, let it go to court,” Sory stated, adding that the association’s legal track record in similar constitutional matters has been less than impressive.
He went further to question the consistency of the GBA, noting their lack of resistance to administrative decisions made by Justice Torkornoo while in office, despite public concerns about some of her directives.
Sory concluded by asserting that the law belongs to all Ghanaians, not just the Bar, saying, “The law is not in the bosom of the Bar.”
The debate over the Chief Justice’s suspension continues to stir intense discussion within legal and political circles, as attention turns to whether the GBA will heed Sory’s advice and seek judicial review.
