Private legal practitioner Thaddeus Sory has made a series of explosive allegations, claiming that Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s fierce public defence of the recently removed Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkonoo, was motivated by his own business interests within the Judicial Service.
According to Mr. Sory, emerging information suggests that certain services delivered within the Judicial Service are linked to the Effutu MP, who he alleges is profiting commercially from them.
“He is rendering those services and gaining huge commercial profit,” Mr. Sory stated, arguing that this personal interest explains why the Minority Leader has attempted to frame the nomination of newly approved Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as a matter of national concern and public interest.
Mr. Sory insisted that the issue had “nothing to do with any minority position,” but rather with the personal stake he claims Mr. Afenyo-Markin had in the former Chief Justice’s continued stay in office.
He alleged that the Minority Leader convinced his colleagues to adopt a collective stance by presenting a misleading narrative.
“The facts show that he has an interest in her being there,” he said. “That is why he is crying louder than every other person.”
Petition Against CJ
Mr. Sory further revealed that his client’s petition for the removal of Justice Torkonoo referenced the Minority Leader, whose actions formed a major count in the case.
He accused Mr. Afenyo-Markin of setting an unprecedented record by obtaining, within two hours, a full Supreme Court panel presided over by Justice Torkonoo to grant orders that, according to him, no court in any common law jurisdiction would grant under the application he filed.
He said the Minority Leader’s conduct raised significant concerns for the nominee herself and adversely affected Justice Gabriel Pwamang, who chaired the committee that recommended the former Chief Justice’s removal.
He insisted that aspects of Justice Pwamang’s own report contributed to the tensions surrounding the matter.
According to him, the relationship between Mr. Afenyo-Markin and Justice Torkonoo became clearer during proceedings.
He recalled being approached by people familiar with both individuals who told him the two “come from the same place” and maintained a close relationship.
He claimed he was informed that when the former Chief Justice’s father died, the Minority Leader hosted visitors who came to mourn with her.
These revelations, he said, would have formed the basis of an additional objection had he appeared at the next sitting.
Concerns Over Approval Process
Mr. Sory also questioned the current parliamentary approval process for judicial nominees, urging a reconsideration of the system of prior approval.
He argued that the Constitution mandates “prior approval of Parliament” but does not explicitly require vetting.
He recommended that Parliament adopt a system where a nominee’s CV and background are reviewed, with vetting reserved only for areas that require clarification. In the absence of major concerns, he proposed that nominees be approved by acclamation.
According to him, the existing approach is unnecessarily prolonged, unproductive, and a burden on the public.
“The current format holds people hostage to a long and unnecessary process,” he said, adding that the country is compelled to observe proceedings in which “95 per cent of it is a joke.”
