Former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame has asserted that the Supreme Court's 3-2 decision to dismiss an injunction request in the ongoing case involving the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo is a clear indication that the legal challenge was far from baseless.

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Although the majority of the five-member panel ruled against halting the proceedings, Dame, who represents the applicant—Old Tafo MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah—highlighted the significance of the close split, arguing that it reflects substantial legal merit in their position.

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“The 3-2 narrowness of the decision itself indicates clearly that the application no doubt had merit. We await the court's full reasoning before determining our next steps,” he told JoyNews following the ruling.

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The legal team for Assafuah had sought to stop the case temporarily, raising key constitutional concerns around judicial independence and due process. However, the majority concluded that there was insufficient justification to grant the injunction.

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Dame also raised eyebrows over the composition of the bench, questioning the appropriateness of Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie presiding over a matter directly linked to the suspended Chief Justice.

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"This is incongruous in our judicial history. If anyone benefits from these developments, it is the acting Chief Justice," he said, adding, "It's quite intriguing that the acting Chief Justice himself sat on these proceedings."

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Prior to the ruling on the injunction, the court had unanimously dismissed Dame’s earlier objection to Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s involvement in the case. Dame argued that the dual role of the acting Chief Justice—both in constituting the panel and presiding over the matter—risked eroding public trust in the judiciary’s impartiality.

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The panel hearing the case comprises Justices Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Henrietta Mensa Bonsu, Yonny Kulendi, Amadu Tanko, and Ernest Gaewu.

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With the injunction request now rejected, the Supreme Court is set to proceed with deliberations on the substantive constitutional issues surrounding the controversial suspension of Chief Justice Torkornoo.

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