{"id":94691,"date":"2025-09-18T12:01:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T12:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=94691"},"modified":"2025-09-18T12:01:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T12:01:11","slug":"former-cjs-latest-challenge-legitimate-kofi-bentil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=94691","title":{"rendered":"Former CJ\u2019s latest challenge legitimate \u2014 Kofi Bentil"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 44 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
\n

Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, says former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo\u2019s legal challenge about her removal as justice of the Supreme Court is both legitimate and necessary to clarify the law.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Joy FM\u2019s Super Morning Show<\/em><\/strong> on Wednesday (September 18), Mr Bentil explained that the law treats justices of the Supreme Court and the chief justice differently when it comes to appointments and removals.<\/p>\n

He was reacting to a suit filed by the former Chief Justice challenging her removal by President John Mahama from both the office of Chief Justice and as a Justice of the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

Mrs Torkornoo\u2019s challenge specifically targets the legal foundation of the removal process, asserting that the president cannot constitutionally use the procedure established for removing a chief justice under Article 146(6) to simultaneously remove her from her position as a justice of the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

She maintains these are separate offices requiring distinct removal procedures under the constitution.<\/p>\n

Commenting on the development, Mr Bentil stated, \u201cThere are justices in the Supreme Court; in our law, they are appointed in a particular way. Then there is a chief justice who is one of the justices, but he or she is appointed differently and goes through vetting differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our law, the process of removing justices of the Supreme Court is different from the process of removing the chief justice,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

He said that since these differences exist, the matter should be fully tested in court. According to him, until there is a clear judicial pronouncement, no one can say the issue has been settled.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as there is room, and the processes have not been exhausted for a matter that is in contention, we should use that option. What the former CJ is doing is useful for all of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mr Bentil further said that the case is not just about Mrs Torkonoo but about clarifying the law for the future. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe does have the right to bring that matter. Because until there is a judicial pronouncement on the matter, it is not final. There is a persuasive argument in law that what she is saying may be true. All of us should hold our horses and not sound as if we know how this is going to go,\u201d he urged.<\/p>\n

He added that the chief justice performs unique administrative duties in addition to being a judge, which makes her role distinct from other justices. <\/p>\n

For this reason, he believes it is worth asking whether removal as chief justice should automatically end one\u2019s position as a Supreme Court justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe qualified to become a justice of the Supreme Court and passed all the requirements. When you are removed as chief justice, it does not mean that the qualification that brought you to being a justice is suddenly gone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mr Bentil insisted that the matter should not be reduced to public opinion but properly be left to the courts. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese are our views. It is properly before the Supreme Court. Let them take a look at it and make a decision on this matter. Then we will all be guided going forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Read also: Torkornoo challenges her removal as Justice of the Supreme Court<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\"FormerVice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, says former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo\u2019s legal challenge about her removal as Justice of the Supreme Court is both legitimate and necessary to clarify the law.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8776,8777,1900,8778,3866,1883,117,10,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-former-chief-justice","category-gertrude-torkonoo","category-hp-news-2","category-justice-of-the-supreme-court","category-kofi-bentil","category-national","category-news","category-politics","category-popular"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94691\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}