The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, has critiqued the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), dismissing its recent claim that the President’s suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo violates Article 296(c) of the Constitution as “ridiculous, mischievous and disgraceful”.
The GBA on Wednesday, April 24, issued a firm call for adherence to constitutional procedures and the principles of the rule of law in response to the ongoing process for the removal of the Chief Justice.
Speaking on Joy News’ Newsfile on Saturday, May 3, Mr Gyamfi defended the President’s action and accused the GBA of hypocrisy and political bias. He described their position not as a sound legal opinion, but as a partisan narrative aimed at undermining the current administration.
“The claim by the GBA that the President has violated Article 296(c) of the Constitution in suspending the Chief Justice, and their demand for the suspension to be revoked, is mischievous, ridiculous and disgraceful, to say the least,” Gyamfi stated.
“They can have an opinion, but I can also have an opinion — and my opinion on their opinion is that their opinion is ridiculous and disgraceful,” he continued.
Mr Gyamfi contended that the GBA’s intervention was not grounded in constitutional interpretation but instead fuelled by a desire to support the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which he accused them of covertly backing.
“It is not born out of the law,” he said, “but born out of their own determination to always re-echo the contrived narratives of the New Patriotic Party. And what they have done is to expose their true colours — their true colours as an appendage of the NPP.”
The GoldBod CEO further challenged the GBA’s consistency, pointing to their silence during similar actions taken under the previous NPP administration.
Specifically, he referenced the suspension of Justice Paul Uuter Dery and three other High Court judges by former President Nana Akufo-Addo, invoking Article 146(10) of the Constitution.
“Where was the GBA when President Akufo-Addo, in reliance or in accordance with Article 146(10), suspended Justice Dery and three other justices of the High Court?” he asked.
He asserted that the GBA routinely fails to speak up when the NPP is in government but becomes vocally critical when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) assumes office.
“They always lose their voice when the NPP is in office but quickly regain it when the NDC comes into office,” he said.