The Minister for Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has firmly rejected allegations by suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo that the choice of Adu Lodge as the venue for her removal proceedings was deliberately intended to intimidate her.
Speaking at a press briefing shortly after Justice Torkornoo’s public address on Wednesday, Kwakye Ofosu described her concerns as misplaced and unfair.
“The attempts to link the dastardly killings of some Supreme Court judges and a military officer to this case are most disingenuous,” he stated. “These governments, Empress Yamama, have nothing to do with the killing of any judge. Second, there’s absolutely no nexus between the petitions that have been brought and that unfortunate incident in our past.”
He emphasised that drawing parallels between the venue and Ghana’s tragic judicial history is inappropriate and unwarranted. “Any effort to link the two is regrettable and should not find space in this sort of discourse. It is most undesirable, it is most unacceptable,” he stressed.
Addressing the specific concerns about the venue, Kwakye Ofosu clarified that Adu Lodge, which is located near the Osu Castle, is a public facility regularly used for official government business and not a secretive or intimidating location.
“The Osu Castle is a public place. You can go there to conduct official government business. Beside it are private residences owned by Ghanaians who move freely in and out of their residences even though they are situated very close to the Osu Castle,” he explained.
He further noted that Adu Lodge is a state-owned facility commonly used to host high-ranking officials visiting Ghana. “It belongs to the state. The decision to use that place was not that of government or President Mahama,” he said, clarifying that the selection was made upon the request of the committee overseeing the proceedings.
“The committee requested facilities of a certain status that could house their activities and facilitate a smooth running of the proceedings. That facility was available and well equipped with modern amenities,” Kwakye Ofosu added.
He stressed that the venue posed no threat to the integrity or fairness of the process, nor did it violate any constitutional requirement. “Wherever these proceedings were held, it would still be in camera as stipulated in Article 146(8) of the 1992 Constitution. So it doesn’t matter where it is held,” he said.
On security arrangements at the venue, he explained, “Any security measure put in place is only intended to secure the place so that persons who are not authorised to be part of the proceedings do not come there and create any inconvenience.”
Kwakye Ofosu concluded by assuring the public that the process remains constitutional, transparent, and free from intimidation.
