Judicial Scandal: I won’t preside over decay - CJ

Ghana’s Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, has given the assurance she is going all out to cleanse the judiciary to restore public confidence.

Saddened by the news of 34 judges facing impeachment over their alleged involvement in bribe taking to influence their rulings, Mrs Wood said her administration is bent on stemming the canker.

She said the legal profession is a noble one bequeathed to legal practitioners by their forebears who toiled to nurture the reputation that made them an enviable lot.

Therefore, she said, it must be clear to everybody that both the Judicial Council and the General Legal Council “will not preside over the decay”.

Justice Wood has called on all hands to be on deck to purge the Judiciary of sleaze, adding it requires political will and the collective effort of the institution itself.

Speaking at a ceremony to enroll new lawyers in Accra, Justice Wood warned the fresh lawyers to refrain from any act of misconduct because the “long arm of the council awaits you.”

Twenty-two lower court judges are currently on suspension following an undercover work by ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas as they were being shown on video negotiating for bribes directly or through agents to throw away cases.

The five-member body investigating the issue resumes work in November.