Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah
• JUSAC National President has mounted a spirited defence for the Chief Justice following allegations of corruption
• Alex Nartey says Justice Anin Yeboah would not stoop low to lower his standards
• The Chief Justice is currently under investigation for allegedly collecting a $5m bribe
The National President of the Judicial Service Staff Association (JUSAG), Alex Nartey has attested to the good character and integrity of Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah.
Mr Nartey’s comments follow a recent petition for the removal of the Chief Justice after he was alleged to have been involved in a $5 million bribery scandal.
In spite of the nature of the allegation, the JUSAC president in an interaction with Daily Graphic on Friday spoke highly of Chief Justice Anin Yeboah’s personality, standards and work ethic. He was confident in the vindication of the CJ after the CID’s investigation.
“We have worked with Justice Anin Yeboah in the courtroom, at the administrative level and at management level, and based on the moral and ethical standards with which he goes about his work, there is no way he will stoop so low to demand or take bribe,” he stated.
Even though the issue has been referred to the CID for further investigation, Mr Nartey noted that the petition seeking the removal of the Chief Justice was not taken through the appropriate channels. According to him, it should have been taken to the president and copied only to the Chief Justice.
“If you want the President to remove the Chief Justice, your petition should be right in the eyes of the Constitution. You will find out that many Ghanaians are interested in finding allegations, without finding the substance, conduct that is a threat to our democracy. I don’t know who is advising ASEPA. I expect them, in the exercise of their constitutional right, to do the right thing, so that the very law that they seek to be enforced is not violated,” he said.
The scandal made the top headline after a private legal practitioner, Akwasi Afrifa alleged that Chief Justice Anin Yeboah had demanded a US$5 million bribe to influence the outcome of a case. Mr Afrifa’s allegation was a reaction to a petition filed against him before the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council.
In response, the Chief Justice denied any such accusations noting that, “His Lordship is saddened that, without any shred of evidence, his name has been dragged into this sordid and potentially criminal matter. His Lordship confirms that he does not know the plaintiff and has not met or seen him anywhere, except in the courtroom when he rises to announce his name when his case is called. His Lordship asserts that he has had no personal interaction either with the plaintiff or his lawyer on this matter or in any other matter…”
