Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo has responded to allegations surrounding her official travels, describing the claims as false and uninformed. She insists all travels and related expenses involving her family were in line with established Judicial Service policies and the conditions of her appointment.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, June 25, the Chief Justice stated that her appointment as Chief Justice entitles her to two vacations per year, and that the Judicial Service travel policy has, since 2010, permitted the Chief Justice to travel with a spouse or a person of their choice for security reasons.
“In the Judicial Service Travel Policy since 2010, the Chief Justice can never travel alone for security reasons, and the Chief Justice is always allowed to travel with the spouse or another person of their choice,” she said.
Responding to allegations that she misappropriated public funds by travelling with her husband and daughter, she clarified: “Travelling on my officially given vacations with my husband on one occasion and my daughter for the second vacation is part of the official conditions of my appointment as Chief Justice.”
Justice Torkornoo further stated that she was not responsible for the purchase of the travel tickets in question
“I was also not responsible for buying the tickets in question, such that I could be said to have ‘misappropriated’ the value of the tickets.”
On the matter of per diem, she emphasized that such allowances are not within her control and are governed entirely by policy
READ: Suspended Chief Justice denies mishandling $14,000 imprest
“The per diem paid to my family is provided for in the Judicial Service travel policy. The rate of per diem is not set or administered by the Chief Justice. It is by regulations and administered by the Finance Directorate and Judicial Secretary, not the Chief Justice.”
She also addressed the claim that she failed to account for a US$14,000 imprest, stating
“Records are available to show that I spent US$4,400 out of the $14,000 accountable imprest that the finance directorate gave me to travel with. I handed over the remaining US$9,600 to the Judicial Secretary, with records on how the US$4,400 was spent, two days after I returned to Ghana.”
According to Justice Torkornoo, these claims, including others submitted by petitioner Mr. Daniel Ofori, had already been responded to with records and explanations long before the current proceedings began.
Despite this, she said she is now being tried under proceedings that have not disclosed any formal charges and where the documents submitted to the President are not being shared with her or the petitioners during the inquiry.
“I am being tried without the issue of a prima facie determination,” she said.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Emmanuel Mensah
