President John Dramani Mahama has received the first report of the Article 146 Committee of Inquiry, which is investigating three separate petitions seeking the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo.
The report was presented on Monday, September 1 at the Presidency by the Chair of the Committee, Justice Gabriel Pwamang, who explained that the panel had conducted its work in camera in line with Article 146(7) and (8) of the Constitution.
He stressed that although the proceedings were private, they were not secret, and the committee was bound to maintain discretion despite “blatant false statements made about members of the committee and our work.”
“In camera proceedings are not the same as in secret,” he noted, explaining that limited procedural details could be shared without disclosing the substance.
On the first petition, filed by Mr. Daniel Ofori, Justice Pwamang disclosed that the committee heard evidence from 13 witnesses called by the petitioner, while the Chief Justice, who also testified and was cross-examined, presented 12 witnesses, including expert testimonies. Both sides were represented by four lawyers each, and the panel reviewed about 10,000 pages of documentary exhibits.
“After critical and dispassionate examination and assessment of all the evidence, including the expert evidence against the provisions of the Constitution and the relevant laws, we have, without fear or favour, arrived at a recommendation on the first petition,” Justice Pwamang said before submitting the sealed report to the President.
He further noted that the second petitioner and the Chief Justice had both requested an adjournment in relation to the second petition, which the committee granted. Reports on the second and third petitions will therefore be submitted in due course.
