The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has dismissed an application for interim measures filed by Ghana’s dismissed Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, seeking to halt her removal from office pending the determination of her substantive suit.
In a ruling delivered on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the regional court held that Justice Torkornoo failed to satisfy the legal requirements for the grant of provisional measures, particularly the criterion of urgency.
The Court noted that the application was filed almost three months after the act she complained of – her suspension in April 2025 – and that her own conduct undermined any claim of imminent and irreparable harm.
“The Applicant’s own conduct defeats her claim of imminent and irreparable harm,” the Court stated, adding: “The Court is therefore satisfied that the Applicant has not demonstrated the existence of imminent or exceptional circumstance that will justify the urgency of the application filed almost 3 months after the act complained of.”
Because urgency is a cumulative requirement alongside other criteria for provisional measures, the Court declined to examine the remaining conditions and dismissed the request in its entirety.
Deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Justice Srem Sai, announced the ruling on social media shortly after it was delivered, quoting the Court’s key findings verbatim.
Justice Torkornoo was suspended by President John Dramani Mahama in April 2025 following a prima facie determination of stated misbehaviour. She subsequently challenged the removal process both domestically and before the ECOWAS Court, alleging violations of her rights.
On September 1, 2025, President Mahama officially removed Justice Torkornoo from office on grounds of misbehaviour following the findings of an investigative committee.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, who was named as interim Chief Justice, has since been named and confirmed as the substantive Chief Justice.