Court rejects oral attempt to withdraw former CJ's lawsuit, adjourns sine die

An attempt by lawyers representing former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo to orally withdraw a legal challenge was halted on Tuesday after the presiding judge insisted on proper legal procedures.

The development unfolded during a virtual hearing on September 9, where the Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Justice Srem Sai, appeared before the High Court seeking to move a motion to dismiss the case. 

The suit, originally filed on June 23, was brought by the former CJ in an effort to quash a petition that questioned the legality of her removal from office.

Her counsel, Kwabena Adu-Kusi, informed the court that he had received instructions from his client to withdraw the application.

The motion in question challenged a petition submitted by a group called Shining Stars of Ghana, which the former CJ's legal team argued was invalid. They claimed the group was not legally recognized and composed of anonymous individuals, thereby lacking the capacity to initiate such a petition.

However, Adu-Kusi’s move to withdraw the case orally did not sit well with the Deputy Attorney-General, who described it as procedurally inappropriate.

Presiding over the case, Justice Eugene Nyadu Nyantei thus ruled that the legal team must follow due process and file a formal notice of discontinuance. The case was adjourned sine die.