Chief Justice Georgina Wood has celebrated the about 20 judges who rejected bribes from ace Ghanaian investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, to influence cases before their courts.
The 20 judges, whose names have been submitted to the Chief Justice, were said to have rejected bribe in various sums from Anas whose latest investigation into Ghana’s judiciary has revealed scandalous corruption.
Speaking at the on-going annual conference of the Ghana Bar Association in Kumasi, Mrs. Wood described the 20 judges and similar judges whose names were not part of the list as “selfless defenders” for refusing to be corrupted.
Eleven of them whose names have been revealed are High Court judges Justice KwesiBoakye, Justice Bright Mensah, Justice Constance Hometorwu, Justice Georgina Mensah-Datsah, Justice Afia Serwaa Asare, and Justice Anthony Oppong.
The rest are District Court judges Mr. Charles Kwesi Acheamping, Mr. Samuel Quartey, Mr. Abdul Abullai, Mr. Bright Ajosagi and one Ms. Felicia at the Abeka District Court in Accra.
“We celebrate and salute them, and indeed all others whose names are not included but remain loyal to their judicial vows,” Mrs. Wood stated in her address at the opening of the five-day conference.
Mrs. Wood said the character of these judges show there is “the clearest evidence that all is not lost. We can, and are determine to rise up to the occasion to restore confidence in our people and our systems”.
She revealed that the judicial service has terminated the appointment of a number of judges and judicial staffs whose actions are affront to the integrity of the institution.
Some, she said, were given“lesser punishment in view of the nature of misconduct complained of”, adding, there are three impeachment processes against some judges and even a larger number against registrars and judicial staff.
“We live in perilous moments and the legacy of our legal system is wobbling…the recent event, has a heavy dark shadow on the legal system as a whole; it services, its people, and its credibility,” she said.
The Chief Justice indicated that the immunity, security and the privilege position enjoyed by judges courtesy the people of Ghana, are not “meant for exploitive purposes but efficient and effective service”.
She thus asked serving officers in the judiciary who cannot handle judicial power with the moral character it require to “quietly make their exit before the long arm of the law catches up on them”.
In the latest investigation piece by AnasAremeyawAnasyet to premier in Accra, 34 judges at the country’s High Courts, the Circuit and District courts were captured on camera taking bribes from litigants whose cases come before them.
The three-hour edited video, which is the result of a two-year painstaking investigation into the judiciary by the award-winning investigative journalist, also exposes some of the judges in a sex scandal.
Anashas since petitioned the President John Dramani Mahama, the Chief Justice and the Attorney General to begin impeachment processes to remove the judges found in the video to be taking bribes and extorting money from litigants.
