Judges must choose anti-so tag over corruption – Atuguba

Supreme Court judge, Justice William Atuguba has prevailed on justices of the bench to seclude themselves from the public to nip corruption in the bud.

He noted that the act of corruption eating into the judiciary is a result of judges’ failure to adhere to their code of ethics and observe the convention of life in seclusion.

Addressing the annual magistrates and judges conference at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra Wednesday, Justice Atuguba partly blamed recent judicial scandal that rocked the nation on modernity. “The Anas exposé underscores the convention of life in seclusion on the bench.

“This convention seems to have waned on the altar of modernity but our predicament should lead to its vigorously reassertion. The observance of this convention and code of ethics will greatly insulate us from this social portaging arising from unbridled social interaction.

“It is better for a person on the bench to be wrongly perceived as anti-social than to be correctly perceived to be corrupt.” The Supreme Court judge also appealed to members of the bar as well as the bench and the general public to hint the Chief Justice of any corrupt tendency involving the bench even if it is a perception.

Justice Atuguba also made a case for judges and magistrates to be given certain allowances as a way of warding off bribery and corruption.

He stated, “I call on the Bar, the Judicial Council and the Bench to coordinate their efforts and engage the article 71 committees and other relevant authorities to press for, recognition of and response of the fact that the Bench has a unique and pivotal role to play in this country and its conditions of Service must correspondingly be unique and should not be considered in common with any generalized policy on pay structure or the like.

“In this connection I call for the restoration of an enhanced leave allowance, substantial entertainment allowance, a handsome allowance for the loss of private professional practice as it is enjoyed by Doctors, Teachers and others.”