'Stop bribing judges!' - Justice Kulendi tells Ghanaians

Supreme Court Judge, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, has called on Ghanaians to stop offering bribes to judges, stressing that the fight against corruption in the judiciary requires the active participation of the public.

Speaking on perceptions of corruption within the justice system, Justice Kulendi acknowledged that although some judicial officers engage in corrupt practices, many others serve with integrity and remain committed to delivering justice fairly.

"I say to people, listen, judges don't give themselves bribes. It is litigants and Ghanaians who will offer the judge their bribe, even for the judge to contemplate it. So, stop bribing your judges because the judge is not supposed to sell justice to you," he indicated.

According to a report by citinewsroom.com on July 8, 2026, Justice Kulendi said public perceptions of judicial corruption, including those reflected in surveys such as Afrobarometer, should not overshadow the dedication of the many honest judicial officers serving the country.

"I'm not one of those who will say that there are no corrupt judges or there are no corrupt judicial officers. Then they must have come from some other planet, and they are not Ghanaians.

"So, the judges are just a cross-section of Ghanaians. And so, to the extent that our society has corrupt people, some of them have filtered into the judiciary," he noted.

He noted that the judiciary can be particularly vulnerable to corruption because of the significant influence judges wield in determining legal disputes.

"The judiciary presents a very predatory and opportunistic avenue for somebody who is already disposed to corruption to manifest that outrageous disposition fully. So, it is there," he said.

Despite these challenges, Justice Kulendi maintained that the judiciary is made up of many honest and dedicated men and women who continue to uphold the rule of law.

He also said disciplinary action against errant judges has continued since the aftermath of the Number 12 judicial corruption exposé, although all cases must be handled in accordance with due process.

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"Day in, day out, people are being flushed out of the system. But there are considerations of due process. Anybody who is a judge was first a lawyer, and then they became a judge. So, when you're dealing with them, you can't be arbitrary, and you cannot compromise due process," he said.

Justice Kulendi said the Judicial Service has strengthened ethics training and regularly reminds judges of the professional standards expected of them.

He further urged members of the public to report judges they know to be corrupt instead of shielding them because of family or personal ties.

"If you know a corrupt judge, expose the judge. The judge who is collecting bribes is somebody's husband, somebody's father, somebody's uncle. So, if you know them and you love them, you accommodate them.

"Maybe we are a corrupt society, but let's create the judiciary that we want and the judges that we want," he said.

Justice Kulendi assured the public that the judiciary would not protect judges found guilty of corruption, describing such conduct as highly destructive to the justice system.

He also rejected sweeping claims that all judges are corrupt, saying many judicial officers leave more lucrative private legal practice to serve the nation with integrity.

"If I wanted money, I wouldn't have quit private practice to become a judge. And so, I'm definitely not a corrupt judge. And I know many of my colleagues who are more upright than me. But are there bad nuts? Yes, they are. We must continue to find them out, fish them out, and continue to purge the system," he said.

MRA/VPO

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