A middleman who stood between investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and one of the judges caught in the bribery scandal had a premonition of the whole deal.
The middleman whose name Anas gave as Kyire, believed to be a court clerk, was apprehensive that somebody could be recording or filming the handing over of bribe money to Justice Gilbert Ayisi-Addo, popularly called Saddam, at the judge’s residence in Tamale.
Insisting to hand the money over to the judge without Anas, the middleman even said at one point that the journalist called Anas could be lurking around; and it turned out rightly that the man he was leading to the judge was the same Anas.
Dialogue
Kyire: You’re giving it to him (Judge); someone is filming somewhere. Tomorrow you would be on the television.
Tiger (Anas): Hehe!
Kyire: But don’t you see Anas has been doing it?
Tiger: No, but that one, I don’t think he can be in this as we are coming here. I am here and you are here, it’s only God who is there.
Kyire: They are things if you’re doing you have to be very careful. To me, he has a problem coming to his house; as of now you don’t even know whether somebody is taking pictures of us.
Tiger: Oh, may God forbid!
Kyire: Taking picture or what and what!
Tiger: God forbid!
Kyire: But if I present it to him, it can happen that he sent me somewhere and I am giving his money back to him or maybe he sent me to the bank, if there is anything; but you giving it to him. You know these days it’s a whole lot. This money you gave me, my share is in the house. I would present this to him. Immediately I give it to him then I come out then we go.
Tiger: We go plan it don’t worry.
Kyire: If you go then you tell your brother that this is what transpired.
Tiger: Don’t worry; if it were to be my own I won’t have problem with that. But for someone taking picture of us, hehe that one is impossible.
Kyire: Is serious, these days, pen; they can use pens. People use wristwatches, phones.
Tiger: Mobile phones?
Kyire: Pen, mobile phone, wrist watches and even shoes, most of them are cameras they use to take pictures. He fears because he doesn’t know.
Tiger: For that one there’s no problem.
Scrambling For Cover
The exposé by Anas regarding the massive corruption in Ghana’s judiciary left some judges scrambling for cover.
Currently, 22 circuit court judges and magistrates have been suspended while 12 superior court judges, mostly at the high courts, are facing possible impeachment for corruption.
Video/Audio Evidence
The high-profile judges have been captured on either video or audio collecting bribes in order to give judgements in favour of those who had offered them (bribes) – and sometimes to the highest bidder.
It is rumoured that some of the judges even exchanged sex for justice or were given freebies to pervert the course of justice.
Sudden Sickness
Some of the judges implicated in the scandal have suddenly been taken ill and are alleged to have dashed to hospitals for treatment upon hearing the news.
Justice Obimpeh for instance was said to be on admission at a private hospital in Accra, while Justice Quist has reportedly suffered a mild stroke since news of the scandal made the headlines.
Resignation Attempts
The Judicial Council reportedly blocked resignation attempts by several judges at the centre of the scandal and rather referred them to a disciplinary committee.
Reports say the Judicial Council and the office of the Chief Justice refused to accept the resignation of Justice Ajet-Nassam.
However, he is said to have handed in his official vehicles and other state logistics in his possession.
DAILY GUIDE learnt that the judicial authorities refused the resignations because they wanted to thoroughly investigate the extent of corruption in the judiciary.
The judges caught in the scandal are being made to watch the documentary that captures how they took the bribes they are alleged to have received relative to cases on which they were presiding, according to reports.
