Sophia Akuffo condemns leak of her testimony before committee probing Gertrude Torkornoo’s removal

Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has criticised the public disclosure of her testimony before the Committee set up to consider the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, describing it as an act of “bad faith.”

Speaking in an interview with TV3 on Wednesday, September 3, Justice Akuffo, who also serves as a member of the Council of State, said she was “outraged” when she discovered that details about her closed-door appearance before the Committee had surfaced on social media.

She stressed that the hearing was strictly confidential and not open to the media. “It was supposed to be in-camera. Everything was confidential, so I go to an in-camera process to give evidence, and then it is out there in the public domain. Approbation and Reprobation, that’s the way I see it,” she said.

Justice Akuffo expressed concern about the Committee’s handling of the process, noting that she saw no signs of press presence when she arrived at the venue. “So, the Committee, whether it was not protecting itself, because as I was walking into that building, I didn’t see any paparazzi on site, nor did I see any person surreptitiously taking pictures or anything like that,” she added.

She argued that the disclosure undermined the integrity of an in-camera hearing. “So, how did it get to the press that I had given evidence? I think that is wrong and it was in bad faith and it was in bad form and it was not in consonance and due regard that is dictated by an in-camera process,” she emphasised.

Despite her displeasure over the leak, Justice Akuffo maintained that she had no regrets about appearing before the Committee and would willingly do so again if required