The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) sought to have Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo remove the judge presiding over the case of Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources.
The OSP made this known on Wednesday, October 25.
"By a letter dated October 25, 2023, the Judicial Secretary informed The Special Prosecutor that, the Chief Justice is unable to accede to the Office of the Special Prosecutor's (OSP) request for his lordship Justice Edward Twum to be recused and removed from all cases involving the OSP pending before him," the OSP tweeted.
The OSP had already been ordered by Justice Edward Twum to refund money that had been taken from the former Minister's home.
The OSP consented, but the next day it again confiscated the funds and issued a new order for their freezing. Subsequently, the prosecution filed additional court documents requesting confirmation of the new order for seizure and freeze by the High Court. The court was originally scheduled to hear this matter on October 18, but Madam Dapaah requested an accelerated hearing, citing hardship and embarrassment she was experiencing. Judge Twum granted this motion and continued the hearings until October 12.
On October 12, Justice Twum said that he had received a letter from the OSP requesting a different judge to hear the case. The former minister's attorneys took note of this and expressed their disapproval. Lead attorney Victoria Barth brought up the fact that the OSP was not even polite enough to appear in court. She went on to say that the request was misguided and intended to annoy Madam Dapaah.
"We perceive it as a calculated ruse to sabotage the hearing this morning and a last-ditch effort to evade his own unfortunate application, and there will be a reckoning day." He claims that since he is the nation's conscience, he ought to be above this.
The former minister has also been charged with disobeying a legitimate request from a legitimate office. The Chief Justice has received a similar request from the OSP. Again, Ms. Barth was unimpressed. She continued by saying that her client was not even fully informed about this situation.
"This charge sheet was not properly served, aside from the fact that individuals who appeared to be from the OSP presented it to the accused without much thought. Neither a summons nor a return date were provided, she said.
Although it's unclear exactly what the OSP is bringing up against the judge, three news sources speculate that it has to do with the judge's initial decision to not confirm the freezing order.
