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President Mahama rejects petition seeking to remove Justice Yonny Kulendi

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The petition seeking the removal of Supreme Court Justice Yonny Kulendi has been dismissed after it was found not to disclose a prima facie case.

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The decision was disclosed by the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, in a social media post on Tuesday, 16 December 2025.

In the post, Mr Kwakye Ofosu stated that the President had forwarded the petition to the Chief Justice in line with Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution to determine whether it met the threshold of a prima facie case.

President John Mahama
President John Mahama
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He explained that the Chief Justice subsequently advised that the petition did not satisfy the constitutional requirement, and that the President had communicated this position to the petitioner.

Background

Godfred Dame, Richard Jakpa and Dr Cassiel Ato Forson

Daniel Marfo Ofori-Atta petitioned President John Mahama on 2 October 2025, seeking the removal of Justice Kulendi. The petition followed a similar complaint lodged with the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service, which called for an investigation into Justice Kulendi and his cousin, Richard Jakpa, over alleged attempts to interfere with the administration of justice.

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The petition centred on Justice Kulendi’s alleged conduct in connection with the high-profile ambulance procurement case, Republic v. Cassiel Ato Forson and two others. Mr Ofori-Atta accused the judge of breaching judicial ethics by involving himself in matters related to the prosecution of his cousin, despite not presiding over the case.

The allegations included claims that Justice Kulendi intervened on the first day of Richard Jakpa’s arraignment in January 2023 by approaching the Attorney General’s office to seek his cousin’s release despite unmet bail conditions, facilitated contact between Jakpa and the Attorney General, and held private meetings with the then Attorney General, Godfred Dame.

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The petition also alleged that Justice Kulendi allowed his residence to be used for an encounter aimed at pressuring the Attorney General to drop the charges. Mr Ofori-Atta argued that these actions constituted stated misbehaviour and rendered Justice Kulendi unfit to remain on the Supreme Court.

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