Parliament has failed to adopt a report on corruption in the judiciary, which resulted in the loss of billions of cedis. The report on the auditor general’s investigations into the financial administration of the judiciary, could not be adopted on Wednesday because there was no quorum.
When debate on the report ended there were just about 71 members in the chamber, far below the needed quorum of one hundred. The Speaker, Peter Ala Adjetey, was therefore compelled to postpone the question for the adoption of the report to Thursday. At the time of the adjournment, there were about 19 members from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) side and 52 members from the opposition National NDC.
The debate on the Public Account Committee’s report was characterized by remarks about how the reputation of the judiciary has been severely dented with charges of corruption against high-ranking officials, possibly with the complicity of former Chief Justice I. K. Abban.
Members called for immediate steps to rid the judiciary of all corrupt practices, which erode public confidence in the institution, often referred to as the conscience of the state.
The Public Accounts committee recommends the setting up of a tender board for the Judicial Service and a reduction in the powers of the Chief Justice to ensure that he or she is not involved in the day to day financial management of the Judicial Service.
The Committee is also calling for a Serious Fraud Office Investigation into the transactions of Integrated Electronic Service, the company, which supplied the service with everything from basic consumables to computer hardware. This company, which allegedly evaded tax between 1997 and 2000 seems to have had a relationship with the late Chief Justice I. K. Abban – a relationship which reportedly bordered on nepotism and parochial interests.
Parliament is also asking for the prosecution of the former financial controller of the Judicial Service, G. K Fordjuor, who allegedly demanded and received various sums of money in bribes from Integrated Electronic Service to enable him process their documents
