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Private legal practitioner Thaddeus Sory has disclosed that Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin played a major role in the circumstances that compelled his client to petition for the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkonoo.
Speaking in an interview, Mr Sory revealed that one of the principal counts in the petition explicitly cited the Minority Leader, outlining acts that formed a significant part of the case against Justice Torkonoo’s continued stay in office.
According to him, the Effutu MP set an extraordinary judicial record when he secured, within two hours, a full Supreme Court panel presided over by Justice Torkonoo, which then granted him orders no court in any common-law jurisdiction would ordinarily issue under the application he filed.
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Mr Sory argued that this unusual judicial outcome was not only troubling for the petitioner but also created discomfort for Justice Gabriel Pwamang, who later chaired the committee that recommended Justice Torkonoo’s removal. He suggested Justice Pwamang’s own report reflected concerns about these developments.
The lawyer said his concerns deepened when individuals familiar with both the former Chief Justice and Mr Afenyo-Markin approached him privately.
“They asked me why I didn’t understand that ‘that is his sister’,” he recounted.
Pressed by KSM to explain the statement, Mr Sory said he was informed the two came from the same area and that during the former Chief Justice’s father’s funeral, Afenyo-Markin hosted her visitors—a gesture he claims was confirmed by persons who attended the event.
He stressed that these personal connections cast serious doubts on the impartiality and integrity of judicial proceedings involving the Minority Leader.
Mr Sory further alleged that services within the Judicial Service are linked to the Minority Leader, claiming Mr Afenyo-Markin is “rendering those services and gaining commercial profit from them”, with the profits described as “huge”.
He argued that this explains the Minority Leader’s heightened involvement in the nomination process of the new Chief Justice, Baffoe-Bonnie, suggesting Mr Afenyo-Markin has been pushing a narrative that elevates the matter into a national controversy when in fact, “the facts show he has a personal interest.”
According to Mr Sory, the minority leader allegedly sold this narrative to his caucus to secure their backing.
“The facts we have show that you have an interest in her being there,” he said, adding that this personal interest is why Mr Afenyo-Markin is “crying louder than every other person.”
Beyond the allegations, Mr Sory criticised the current parliamentary vetting format, arguing that the Constitution requires only “prior approval of Parliament”, not exhaustive vetting sessions.
He proposed an alternative model:
- Parliament should review the nominee’s CV and conduct background checks.
- Vetting should occur only when specific issues require clarification.
- In straightforward cases, approval by acclamation should be used.
He insisted the current approach traps nominees in an unnecessarily long—and often performative—process.
“Ninety-five percent of it is a joke,” he lamented, adding that if an appointee underperforms, the appointing authority can always dismiss them.
Mr Sory hinted that had he appeared at the next sitting of the committee, he would have raised direct objections against the former Chief Justice herself, asserting that the conflicts that arose in the case stemmed from her closeness to the plaintiff, Afenyo-Markin.
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