Retired Supreme Court Justice William Atuguba has vehemently criticised the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) over its objection to the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
He described NPP’s criticisms of the objection of judges sitting on judicial cases, including the current Chief Justice’s suspension, as “pure hypocrisy”.
“When they [the NPP] were in office, how did they perform? Transparently? Neutrally? In the interest of the people? This is the kind of thing I just hate—pure hypocrisy,” he said.
His comment follows an objection from former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, who argued that it was improper and without precedent for an acting Chief Justice to empanel and preside over a case directly involving the substantive Chief Justice.
He also made reference to comments made by former National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah, who once suggested that court rulings are sometimes managed in a way that preserves national stability.
“Yes, that’s an honest man,” Atuguba remarked. “But if the courts were truly implementing the law, what would make him [Kan-Dapaah] apprehensive? Public perception? The trend? Repeated unanimous decisions in favour of a particular party?”
The former Supreme Court judge argued that previous panels under Chief Justice Torkornoo consistently delivered unanimous verdicts that favoured the NPP, which, according to him, undermines their current criticism.
“There was a 3–2 decision recently, and that only happened after the panel was reconstituted. Before that, it was unanimous after unanimous—always in their favour. Is that justice? That’s the democracy they want to entrench?” he questioned in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on JoyNews.
He also accused the opposition NPP of trying to weaponise the judiciary for political gain.
“You have been overthrown through the ballot. Now your final defence is the Chief Justice? You say, ‘If she falls, we all fall.’ That’s what they are fighting for. It’s not about justice; it’s about survival,” he added.