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Judges involved in bribery scandal must be prosecuted - PC Appiah Ofori

180 officials of the Judicial Service have been caught on camera taking bribes and extorting money from litigants

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Ghana's anti-corruption crusader, Paul Collins Appiah Ofori, has hinted that judges caught in the corruption scandal by ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, must be dealt with according to the provisions of the constitution.

Thirty-four Ghanaian judges will face impeachment in the coming weeks as an exposé about to hit Ghana entangles them in a damning corruption scandal.

The high profile judges including, Justice John Ajet-Nassam, a High Court Judge, who freed Alfred Agbesi Woyome in the controversial Gh¢51 million judgment debt scandal, have been videotaped and audio recorded in separate conversations with suspects or persons acting as agents of suspects before them to compromise big cases.

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180 officials of the Judicial Service have been caught on camera taking bribes and extorting money from litigants.

Some of the culprits have also been linked to sex scandals in a three-hour edited video emanating from a two-year investigation into corrupt practices in the Judicial Service.

Speaking in a telephone interview with Pulse.com.gh, PC Appiah Ofori said the indicted judges  must be removed from office and prosecuted.

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"They should not only be removed from office but also be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to other judges and other public servant," he said.

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"If it is true, then it is not safe for this country because if those who have to punish corrupt practitioners are involved in corrupt practices, is it possibles to eradicate corruption in the country?," he asserted.

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He added: "If judges who are suppose to punish those who involve themselves in corrupt practices are engaged in this act, will you say the corrupt practices must be incurred?," he ask.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has described the scandal as shocking. According to the spokesperson of GBA, Tony Forson, he however indicated that the Association will take a decision after seeing the video.

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“Unfortunately, not all of us have seen this video, we have just seen snippets… as an association, the decision we have taken is that the constitution makes provisions for the removal of superior court judges in Article 146 so as a body, we have decided that we will wait and allow the constitutional provisions run its course in order not to prejudice any person’s interest because this is a very serious matter," he said.

One could hear judges including, a Human Rights Court judge Kofi Essel Mensah, a High Court Judge Charles Quistallegedly making demands to throw away cases which include robbery, murder and corruption among others in a trailer of the incriminatory video.

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