Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo in a detailed response to President John Mahama firmly rejected allegations of financial misconduct contained in a 21-point petition submitted by a private citizen, Daniel Ofori, describing the claims as “unfortunate untruths” rooted in a misunderstanding of established Judicial Service policy.
In his petition to the President, Ofori accused the Chief Justice of misappropriating over GHS 261,000 in public funds in 2023 to cover personal foreign trips with her husband, Francis Kofi Torkornoo, and daughter, Miss Edem S.A. Torkornoo. He also alleged that she took an additional GHS 75,580 for a trip to Tanzania and failed to account for a $14,000 imprest for the same journey.
But in her detailed response, Chief Justice Torkornoo maintained that every aspect of her travel was within the confines of an official Judicial Service travel policy, in place since 2010 and revised in 2019, which permits the Chief Justice to be accompanied by a spouse or a person of her choice on official or holiday travel.
She cited Paragraph A(9) of the policy, which states: “The Chief Justice shall undertake unlimited official travels with either his/her Spouse or other person of his/her choice in a year, fully funded by the Judicial Service,” and Paragraph A(10), which allows for travel in the same class and partial per diem coverage for the companion.
“In view of this option, there was no infraction occasioned when I opted to travel for my two holidays with my spouse on one occasion and my daughter on the second occasion,” she explained.
Responding to the claim of failing to retire a $14,000 imprest, the Chief Justice said she returned over $9,500 of the amount, attaching documentation dated 14 September 2023—just two days after resuming work from the trip.
“I spent an amount of $4,411 out of the said imprest and retired the remaining $9,588.20,” she wrote, describing Ofori’s allegations as based on a misreading of audit records and Judicial Service accounting procedures.
On the expenditure for her trip to Arusha, Tanzania, the Chief Justice clarified that a medical episode forced her to return to Ghana earlier than planned, necessitating new flight bookings. “I fell ill from exhaustion when I arrived in Arusha and had to return to Ghana a day early to ensure that I had one full day to journey to Cape Coast for the Ghana Bar Association conference,” she stated.
Justice Torkornoo further distanced herself from the administration of travel allowances and ticketing. “As Chief Justice, I neither purchase travel tickets, nor determine the per diem issued to me… I am not signatory to any account and do not have access to the accounts of the Judicial Service,” she emphasized.
In conclusion, she asserted that the petition lacks merit and reflects “an outsider’s” flawed interpretation of official records and established policy. “It is therefore unfortunate that the Petitioner… should create the wrong presentation of this expenditure,” she stated.
The petition by Daniel Ofori is recorded in a wave of attempts seeking the removal of Chief Justice Torkornoo under Article 146 of the Constitution, all of which she has so far firmly rebutted.
Read full Petition and CJ’s response below
