We’ll apply swift sanctions against corrupt judges — CJ
The Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, has expressed the determination of the Judicial Council to swiftly and decisively apply the appropriate sanctions against the 34 judges alleged to have received bribes according to the laws of the land if they are found culpable.
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But she assured the 12 justices of the High Court and the 22 of the lower Bench implicated in the bribery scandal that the council would ensure that the rule of law, with all the constitutional guarantees and safeguards, would be respected in dealing with the matter.
Addressing the opening session of the annual conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) in Kumasi Monday, Mrs Wood said, “We cannot do otherwise; we are a justice institution birthed in the principles of fair trial and natural justice principles we are all too familiar with”.
Theme
The five-day conference is on the theme: “The rule of law, access to justice and sustainable development – The panacea for political and economic progress of a nation state.”
Last Wednesday, the Judicial Service interdicted 22 judges implicated in a bribery scandal that has rocked the Judiciary.
More than 100 members of staff of the Judicial Service are also being investigated, according to the service.
Some of the implicated judicial officials are said to have tendered in their resignation letters but they were said to have been turned down.
The officials were captured on video ostensibly taking money from litigants in what promises to be the biggest scandal ever to hit Ghana’s Judiciary.
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Video
A three-hour video detailing the forms the corruption took shows how 34 of the culprits, said to be judges at the High, the Circuit and the District courts, took bribes, including goats.
Some of them have also been linked to sex scandals and extortion in the video, emanating from a two-year investigation by the ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
Commenting on the allegations of bribery against the Judicial Service staff at the five-day conference, the Chief Justice urged judges and, indeed, the legal fraternity to chase those who might try to influence them out of their chambers and report such bad cases to the police or some other appropriate authority.
“Judges are those who must be or live above reproach; we are the ones who must fight to protect our institutional and substantive integrity, not non-judges,” she said.
Bad lots
She expressed regret that while the recent exposé on the alleged corrupt judges was ongoing, she had been leading a three-member delegation from the Judicial Council to meet with the judicial staff to advise them on the need to avoid such canker.
She said it was unfortunate that in spite of the crusade, a number of judicial staff were caught in vices, a situation which was an indication that a lot more work needed to be done to completely stem the canker.
She hinted that there were three impeachment proceedings pending against threee High Court judges, while two others were in the pipeline.
Additionally, she said an even larger number of disciplinary proceedings were pending against some registrars and other Judicial Service staff.
“Many other judicial officers have received lesser sentences. It is in this light that those who have failed to heed to all of these timely warnings must face the wrath of the law and bear the full force of blind justice that knows no favouritism,” the Chief Justice said.
Exit
Mrs Justice Wood warned those who could not handle the judicial power along those character traits to quietly make their exit before the law caught up with them.
“The administration of justice is facing a difficult period and our time-tested institutions are in danger of losing face, public confidence and legitimacy,” she said.
She reckoned that a heavy dark shadow had been cast on the legal community and its legitimacy.
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Good ones
While calling for self-introspection, Mrs Justice Wood expressed delight that there were still a number of decent judges within the system.
“Thankfully, we have been presented with a roll of honour, a list of judges who fall into the category of selfless defenders of all that is noble and true and who refused to be corrupted.
“This is the clearest evidence that all is not lost. We can and are determined to rise up to the occasion to restore confidence in the system,” she said.