Chief Justice nominee, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has offered a peek into what she wants to be remembered for as Ghana's next Chief Justice, that is if she gets the approval of Parliament's Appointments Committee.

The Committee on Friday, took her through a myriad of questions as members vetted her for the post upon her nomination by President Akufo-Addo.

During her vetting, the issue of what legacy she intends to bequeath Ghana's judiciary came up a couple of times, including yet another belated one that was overruled by chairman and First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Osei Owusu.

And according to Justice Torkornoo, she would want to be remembered for a number of developments culminating in a legacy of “extreme efficiency in the delivery of justice.”

She would want to leave behind a judiciary that uses its rules efficiently and effectively, as well as a legacy of intense training, excellence in the standards of the judiciary, a legacy of the use of technology and a legacy of applications.

President Akufo-Addo, in April, nominated the 60-year-old to replace the now-retired Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah.

Profile 

Gertrude Torkornoo hails from Winneba in the Central Region of Ghana. 

She was born on 11 September 1962 in Cape Coast. 

She attended Wesley Girls’ High School where she obtained her ordinary level certificate and Achimota School for her advanced level certificate. 

She is an alumni of the University of Ghana and graduated from the Ghana School of Law in 1986. 

In 2001 she obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in International Law and Organization from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), part of Erasmus University in the Netherlands. 

In 2011, she graduated from the Golden Gate University, USA with an LLM in Intellectual Property Law.

Career

Prior to joining Fugar & Co., a law firm in Accra as an associate, Justice Torkornoo worked as a volunteer at the FIDA Legal Aid Service and did an internship with Nabarro Nathanson in London. 

She returned to the firm (Fugar & Co.) in 1994 to become a director. 

In January 1997, she co-founded Sozo Law Consult where she worked as Managing Partner until 14 May 2004 when she was appointed a Justice of the High Court of Ghana.

She worked as a High Court judge until October 2012 when she was elevated to the Court of Appeal. 

Justice Torkornoo was nominated to the Supreme Court of Ghana in November 2019.

She was sworn into office on 17 December 2019.

Leadership profile

Justice Torkornoo has held several leadership roles in the judicial service. 

In her work as chair of E-Justice Committee, she has led the planning of automation of all levels of courts, procurement and incorporation of the use of electronic resources and software in the work of the Judicial Service.

She has also served as the Supervising Judge of commercial courts since 2013 where she has set the agenda for and chaired the meetings and programs of the Users Committee of the Commercial Courts.