Chief Justice nominee, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, has dispelled the notion that the judicial uses contempt summons to intimidate its critics. 

Rather, she said contempt summons are a tool the court uses to protect the sanctity of the judiciary.

According to her, this is to prevent the bastardisation of the judiciary. 

“The issuing of contempt summons has always been a tool that has been used by courts to ensure that the dignity of the court is not scandalized. 

The [Supreme] Court is one out of 400 courts, and it is the ultimate voice, so whenever the court acts, whether it is the High Court, Court of Appeal, or Supreme Court, it is to ensure that the Justice system is not scandalized,” Justice Torkornoo said on Friday, May 26, when she appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament.

On Thursday, May 25, the Supreme Court issued contempt summons to a former parliamentary candidate aspirant of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Dr. Michael Kpessa-Whyte.

He has been asked to explain why he should not be held in contempt of the court. 

In a Twitter post, Dr. Kpessa-Whyte referred to the Supreme Court as a “Stupid Court”.

In the said tweet, the lecturer also criticised the current state of Ghana’s judiciary, accusing it of partisanship and lacking common sense.

Dr. Kpessa-Whyte’s tweets came shortly after the Supreme Court ordered Parliament to remove the name of NDC MP James Gyakye Quayson from its records due to procedural breaches during his nomination and election in 2020.

However, Dr. Michael Kpessa-Whyte has apologised for his comments. 

According to the lecturer, he did not intend to “insult” the apex court when he wrote on social media that the court was being turned into a stupid court.  

In a press statement he issued on Thursday, May 25, Dr. Kpessa-Whyte thus issued an unqualified apology to the judiciary.