NPA Acting CEO Edudzi Tameklo Slams UK Bar Council Over Suspended Chief Justices' Letter
- Edudzi Tameklo has called on the Bar Council of England and Wales to retract its request to President John Mahama
- The council demanded the reinstatement of suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo on August 14, 2025
- However, Tameklo insisted President Mahama followed due process and committed no constitutional breach
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The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Edudzi Tameklo, has asked the Bar Council of England and Wales to withdraw a letter urging President John Mahama to reinstate the suspended Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo.
The Bar Council of England and Wales and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, in a letter dated August 14, 2025, demanded the immediate reinstatement of Gertrude Torkornoo following her suspension by President Mahama over a series of allegations.
Source: UGC
Reacting to this on the August 18, 2025, edition of the New Day on TV3, the Acting NPA CEO, a lawyer by profession, said President Mahama had strictly adhered to due process in handling the petition for the Chief Justice's removal.
"Everything the president has done so far is to ensure that he respects the independence of the judiciary. What would have been the position of the Bar Council of England and Wales, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, if the president was the petitioner? The petitioners are completely distinct from the president. The president has a constitutional duty to perform... it's not a duty cast on any other person in this Republic today, only John Dramani Mahama," he said.
Lawyer Tameklo, who is also the Director of Legal Affairs for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), claimed the Bar Council of England had no evidence of constitutional breaches on the part of the president relative to the Chief Justice's removal process.
"How come in all of these, the Bar Council of England and Wales have not been able to cite any breach of any of our laws, be it the Constitution, a statute, or any rule of law or rule of procedure?"
He consequently urged the Bar Council of England and Wales and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association to reconsider their position.
"It's unfortunate, very unfortunate, and I think the Bar Council of England and Wales must, maybe, let me use their own words, immediately and without delay withdraw that statement and apologise to the good people of Ghana," he added.
Watch the video of Tameklo's request below:
Reactions to Tameklo criticising UK Bar Council
Ghanaians on social media have also taken to social media to express their displeasure with the letter issued by the Bar Council of England and Wales, and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association.
Below are a few of the reactions:
@Xerxes_9 said:
"They are just a pressure group, your presence on tv discussing their plight even shocks me. These are things you don’t even allow to come on air, you shrug them off and continue your work."
@PatrickAdjatey also said:
"But it's very disrespectful for a group of lawyers from another country to direct a president of a sovereign state to do their will."
@Caessar_7 commented:
"They can’t tell us what to do ,where were they when we were suffering from hardships? Can we also interfere in their justice system?"
Source: UGC
AG responds to Commonwealth Lawyers Association
In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that the Attorney General and Minister of Justice responded to a joint statement by the Bar Council of England and Wales and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association on the suspension of Gertrude Torkornoo.
In his response, Dr Dominic Ayine stated that Chief Justice Torkornoo would remain suspended until investigations into the allegations were completed. Ghanaians who saw the press statement on social media shared their varied thoughts on the matter.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
