Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah
• Vitus Azeem says there should an independent probe into the allegations involving the CJ
• He said the GLC will not conduct a credible investigation
• Azeem is of the view that CHRAJ will do a better job than the GLC
Vitus Azeem, a former Executive Director, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), has added his voice to the ongoing suggestions that there should be an independent investigation into the US$5million bribery allegations levelled against the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah by one Lawyer Kwasi Afrifa.
According to him, an investigation by the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council (GLC) and the Judicial Services will be impartial because the Chief Justice chairs that body.
Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, monitored by GhanaWeb, Vitus Azeem said, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) would conduct a more credible investigation into the said allegations.
“The GLC should not be the one investigating the matter because the Chief Justice is the Chair of that body. I think CHRAJ should be the body that should investigate the matter,” he explained.
Lawyer Afrifa’s allegation against the Chief Justice
Lawyer Kwasi Afrifa, in a statement under Kwasi Afrifa of O&A Legal Consult, named the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah of demanding “a bribe of US$5,000,000 for a successful outcome of his case.”
Afrifa’s statement dated July 8, 2021, responded to a claim by Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI that he [Afrifa] while handling his case – Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI v Ghana Telecommunications Co. Ltd. – suggested to him [Ogyeedom] to “provide an amount of US$100,000 to enable him to do some ways and means (gymnastics)” on the case “so that we can obtain a favourable decision.”
Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI, then, petitioned the GLC on March 1, 2021, despite knowing he had a good case before the Supreme Court of Ghana, he heeded the advice of his lawyer. However, he later realized that money was not used for the intended purpose.
“…so I fired him from the case and asked him to refund the money but he has since refunded US$25,000 leaving a balance of US$75,000 due and owing to me. All efforts to retrieve the amount have failed,” Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI stated while he appealed to the GLC Chairman to help him retrieve the remaining amount from lawyer Kwasi Afrifa.
In a three-paged response available to GhanaWeb, Kwasi Afrifa has unequivocally denied all the claims.
He explained, “at the end of July 2020, the Petitioner informed me that friends of his who were highly connected politically had taken him to see the Chief Justice who had agreed to help him win his case on the condition that he drops my good self as the lawyer handling the case for him and engage Akoto Ampaw Esq in my stead.
“He further informed me that the Chief Justice had demanded a bribe of US$5,000,000 for a successful outcome to his case and that he had already paid US$500,000 to the Chief Justice. He further indicated that he was hard-pressed to raise the remainder of the US$5,000,000 and so I should refund some of the GH¢300,000 paid me as fees because he had in line with the advice of the Chief Justice, engaged Akoto Ampaw Esq. as solicitor to continue the case before the Supreme Court.”
Afrifa indicated further that, he took a decision to refund the amount Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI paid him for handling his case.
He said: “we aggregated the GH¢300,000 paid to me as being the equivalent of US$50,000 which I was to refund to him without any timeline being indicated. He said he wanted the payment in dollars because he was raising the remainder of the money to be paid the Chief Justice, and that currency was the currency of choice.
“On the 27th of January 2021, I paid an amount of US$25,000 to the petitioner and subsequently paid US$15,000 to him making a total of US$40,000 so the outstanding amount that I have to refund to him is US$10,000. I am ready willing and able to make the said payment of US10,000 when I appear before the Committee on the 15th of July, 2021.”
