Don't shelve Judges corruption video - AFAG to Anas

Pressure group, Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), has charged investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his team to premiere the video implicating some Judges and Magistrates for corruption despite the resistance from some quarters.

AFAG in a statement said premiering the video will exhibit the independence of Anas and his team as well as their “resolve to stand by the public in the fight against corruption.”

The statement further stated that it will be “an indictment on the tiger team if all except one of their painstaking investigations is not made available to the public.”

There have been a lot of appeals from some influential quarters asking Anas not to premiere his latest exposé on the corruption unearthed in the country’s judicial system.

But Anas and his team have served notice that Ghanaians will be given the chance to watch the video despite the numerous calls.

So far, 34 implicated Judges have been suspended and 14 of them have sued the Judicial Council for their suspension which they say “is in bad faith.”

Below is the full statement from AFAG

Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) salutes ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, for his commitment to God and country, and his relentless effort to rid Ghana off the cancer of corruption that is virtually tearing every institution and organ of government apart.

Big thumbs up to the Tiger Eye team for contributing immensely to the collective cause of fighting corruption.

AFAG is however surprised that the findings up to date has not been made public. It’s our belief that this sterling investigative initiative was premised on the historical challenge of enormous perception of corruption in the judiciary without any shred of evidence.

Over the years, the Ghana Integrity Initiative and other persons have challenged the courts and in some instanced branded Judges as being corrupt.

In 2011, the Association of Judges and Magistrates of Ghana recused themselves off cases involving Raymond Atuguba et.al (Following the stern warning issued by the Association of Judges and Magistrates of Ghana in a petition to the General Legal Council (GLC) that they would recuse themselves from cases being handled by four lawyers, who made allegations of corruption against the judiciary, Dr. Raymond Atuguba, one of the accusers of the judiciary, had been on the receiving side.

The Supreme Court, yesterday, declined to adjudicate a case in which Dr. Raymond Atuguba, Executive Secretary of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) and counsel for a cattle breeder, who is challenging the continuous stay in office of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Adamu Dramani Sakande, before the court).

Fellow countrymen, in the past where such allegations have been made in public, the outcome of any investigation or position by the GLC has not been made public.

Indeed, the public cannot testify about any whip cracked against a Judge(s). Judicial reforms have been restricted to speedy trials and the introduction of witness statements.

This situation has deepened public mistrust in the Judiciary. It is in this vein that:

We call for the premiering of videos on this Judge’s bribery and there should be a public inquiry other than in camera hearing.

The Tiger team must know that, their integrity is at stake especially where along the line a Judge or group of Judges try to undermine the authenticity of their finding through their lawyers.

Besides, the Tigereye team may be feeding into the general perception of some politicians trying to manipulate them to prevent the premiering of the videos, and possibly, insulate some of the High Court Judges from the consequences of their actions.

AFAG is challenging the Tigereye team to exhibit their independence and resolve to stand by the public on the fight against corruption.

Additionally, it is an indictment on the tiger team if all except one of their painstaking investigations is not made available to the public.

Historically, the public have been previewed to all their findings with respect to previous investigations.

This allows for informed discussions. AFAG has been unable to speak critically about this scandal because of the lack of hard facts.

This notwithstanding, we are happy to commend if true, the judges who refused to be bribed but on what basis.

Don't shelve Judges corruption video - AFAG to Anas

Enhance Your Pulse News Experience!

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Recommended articles

How to save a life by doing CPR during an emergency

3 reasons most airplanes are painted white

How 1 woman became first lady of 2 different countries — she married 2 presidents

How parents, teachers can recognise when a child is being bullied

It's illegal to publicly celebrate your birthday in this country

Medikal covers Fella Makafui’s tattoo from his arm after announcing their split

Men aged 20 to 39 responsible for 86% of teenage pregnancies in Tema

Kudus’ ‘center to goal’ strike against Freiburg wins West Ham goal of the month

Bawumia's manifesto team member grabs GH¢245m single-sourced contract — Ablakwa