By Ashiadey Dotse
Legal Practitioner and Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assifuah, has stressed that any attempt to remove the Chief Justice must be based on serious and deep allegations, and not seen as part of a witch hunt or personal agenda.
Speaking in an interview on GTV breakfast on April 28, 2025, Mr. Assifuah emphasized that the process to remove a Chief Justice must strictly follow the laid-down legal procedures. He noted that while mistakes may happen, mere errors or questionable recommendations cannot be enough reason for removal unless they seriously affect rights or breach the law.
Mr. Assifuah explained that the recommendation made by the Chief Justice regarding appointments to the Supreme Court, even if irregular, did not cause any harm to anyone’s rights, including the President, the Judicial Council, or the judges involved. Therefore, he argued, it cannot serve as a strong reason to remove the Chief Justice.
He further warned that the suspension of the Chief Justice while investigations are ongoing is a serious action, as it directly affects her rights. “If you want to remove a Chief Justice, the allegations must be deep and grave. It should not look like a planned attack just because some people have vowed to remove her when given the chance,” he said.
Addressing comparisons with the 2017 removal of former Electoral Commission Chairperson Charlotte Osei, Mr. Assifuah insisted that the situations are very different. He pointed out that in Charlotte Osei’s case, the complaints came from her own deputies over procurement issues, not from political opponents. He also stressed that the Electoral Commission is not an arm of government like the Judiciary, making it wrong to compare the two.
Mr. Assifuah added that even when Members of Parliament perform their duties and make rulings, those acts can only be challenged through proper appeals, not by petitions for removal. “If five Supreme Court Justices give a unanimous ruling, you cannot pick one of them for attack. It does not make sense,” he stated.
He concluded that the integrity of the Judiciary must be protected and that any move to remove a Chief Justice must meet the highest legal standards, not be driven by political motives or public pressure.
