Oye Lithur didn’t bribe Judges – Date-Bah C’ttee

Nana Oye Lithur did not compromise any of the nine Justices that sat on the election petition case last year, a probe Committee has found.

The Date-Bah Committee set up by Chief Justice Georgina Wood to investigate the allegation against the Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister, dismissed the claim in its report.

A letter dated December 23, 2013, addressed to the Petitioner, General Secretary of the main opposition New Patriotic Party, bearing the signature of the Secretary of the Judicial Council Justice, B. A. Opoku Acheampong, said the claim lacked substance, thus its dismissal.

"There was no evidence available to it to prove the allegations by Victoria Hammah that Hon. Nana Oye Lithur influenced some or all the justices of the Supreme Court who sat on the presidential election petition or broke a rule in the outcome of the case”, the letter said.

According to the Committee, “the statement could not be substantiated and therefore dismissed.”

Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie petitioned the Chief Justice to open investigations into the matter after Deputy Communications Minister, Victoria Hammah, who was subsequently fired, was heard on a leaked tape idly gossiping to her interlocutor on the side of her mobile phone that she had “learnt” Oye Lithur saw the Justices before the final verdict of the case was delivered.

Ms Hammah was invited to appear before the Committee but she never did.

Oye Lithur, who prior to her appearance before the Committee, denied the allegation, was cross-examined by Owusu Afriyie during the Committee’s hearing.