President Akufo-Addo has appointed Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo as the new Chief Justice.
In a letter to the State Council on Tuesday, April 25, the president said it was to avoid a vacuum that would arise after the resignation of incumbent Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah on May 24. “Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah will retire on May 24, 2023, his 70th birthday. to void a vacuum and ensure that the new Chief Justice is inaugurated immediately, after leaving office.
Akufo-Addo Nominates Gertrud Torkornoo for Chief Justice “We have now decided to begin the appointment process. Article 144(1) of the Constitution regarding the appointment of the Chief Justice requires that I first consult with the Council of Ministers before obtaining Parliamentary approval. “Therefore, I appoint Supreme Court Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo as the new Chief Justice. She encloses a copy of her biography for your information,” an excerpt from the letter said.
Justice Mrs Torkornoo of this appointment will be vetted by Parliament and approve her appointment or not. She becomes the third female Chief Justice in Ghana’s history, after Justices Georgina Theodora Wood and Sophia Akuffo.
Profile of the nominee
Gertrude Torkornoo hails from Winneba in the Central Region of Ghana. She was born on 11 September 1962 in Cape Coast. She attended Wesley Girls` High School where she obtained her ordinary level certificate and Achimota School for her advanced level certificate. She is an alumni of the University of Ghana and graduated from the Ghana School of Law in 1986. In 2001 she obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in International Law and Organization from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), part of Erasmus University in the Netherlands. In 2011, she earned a Master’s degree in Intellectual Property Law from Golden Gate University, USA.
Career
Before she joined the law firm Fugar & Co. as a lawyer in Accra, Judge Torcornoo volunteered for FIDA Legal Aid and interned with Nabarro Nathanson in London. She returned to her company (Fugar & Co.) in 1994 to become its director. In January 1997 she co-founded Sozo Law Consult, where she served as managing partner until May 14, 2004 when she was appointed as a Judge in the High Court of Ghana.
She served as a High Court Judge until October 2012, when she was moved to the Court of Appeal. Justice Thorkorn was appointed to the Supreme Court of Ghana in November 2019. He assumed office on December 17, 2019.
Leadership Profile
Judge Torcornoo has held several senior positions in the judicial service. During her tenure as Chair of the e-Justice Committee, she led the acquisition and implementation of court automation initiatives at all levels, the use of electronic resources and software in judicial services practices.
Since 2013, she has served as the Supervisory Judge at the Economic Court, setting the agenda and presiding over meetings and programs of the Economic Court Users Committee.
