“Judicial Corruption” Allegations

GBA Backs

4 Lawyers

By: CCL Scouts

The Greater Accra Bar of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has overwhelmingly shared

solidarity with their colleague four lawyers whose cases the Association of

Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG) has boycotted.

The Bar, however, appealed to the boycotted Magistrates and the Judges

to rescind their decision against their colleagues whose allegations against the

Judiciary is a public knowledge.

It would be recalled that on May 13, 2011, the Association of

Magistrates and Judges (AMJG) lodged a complaint to the Judicial Council against

four lawyers, following the allegations of corruption they had made against the

bench.

According to the statement, “Our request to the Council are for the

assertions made by the lawyers on corruption in the judiciary to be investigated and

the critics given the chance to substantiate what they assert.”

The four lawyers listed were Dr. Raymond Atuguba, Mr. David Annan, Mr.

Abraham Amaliba and Mr. Larry Bimi.

Subsequently, on May 19, 2011, when Dr. Atuguba appeared in Court on

behalf of his client in the case, “Sumaila Brelbrel vs. Adamu Dramanu & the Attorney

General”, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unable to listen to the case because

Dr. Atuguba was under investigation (The New Crusading Guide, Monday, June 13,

2011).

The action by the Magistrates and Judges angered the public including

the Forum for Governance and Justice for over stretching the matter. It was led by

Dr. Samuel Buame, a Barrister and lecturer at the University of Ghana Business

School and Dr. Clement Apaak.

Now, the Greater Bar has also waded in. At their last Wednesday meeting

at the Fast Track High Court 4, the Crystal Clear Lens can report that, the members

of the Greater Accra Bar expressed disappointment at the bench for trampling upon

the rights of their members.

Speaker after speaker at the meeting, which attracted over sixty members

of the Bar, supported the position of the four lawyers that indeed there was

corruption in the judiciary.

The speakers cited the case of Mr. Mensah Bonsu to sway supports for the

four lawyers. They recalled how the Bar boycotted the Courts for one month as

protest in favour of Mr. Bonsu, referring to him as a “prisoner of conscience”.

Although, they argued, he was jailed for contempt by High Court of competent

jurisdiction, they felt he was jailed unfairly.

The insider told this paper that the agenda for meeting was;

“Justification of the Four Lawyers”. It was meant to evaluate the statement of their

colleagues in relation to the action taken by the AMJG.

“The opinion of the members of the Bar was so overwhelming”, the

insider said, and “that most lawyers opined that the four lawyers must be encouraged

to name the corrupt judges for them to be exposed and weeded off in the system.”

At the meeting, there were three issues tabled and discussed. One,

Lawyer Senanu suggested Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) instead of the normal

Traditional Court that may delay the speed resolution of the case. It was agreed by

the members that the National Executive of the GBA should see the Judges and have

the matter settled out amicably.

The second issue, according to our scout, was that they appealed to the

GBA to throw their weight behind the four lawyers just like they have done for Mr.

Bonsu in time past.

The last point was the Bar would determine whether the four lawyers were

in good standing to merit their support. This, they explained to mean their

attendance at meetings, payment of dues and other obligations required of them.

Initially, there was apprehension by the members that the meeting would

be poor, since

the President, Frank Davis is a known activist of the opposition New Patriotic Party

(NPP) and an NPP Constituency Chairman in the Greater Accra Region.

The Secretary of the Greater Accra Bar, Mr. Justice

Amenuvor, was also in attendance.

Some of the prominent lawyers in attendance were Yonny Kulendi, Nana

Asante Bediatuo, Owusu Yeboah, who is the former Volta Regional Minister under NPP

administration, Sammy Cudjo and a host of others cutting across the political

divide.