President John Dramani Mahama has asked Ghanaians to keep faith in the judiciary despite the alleged scandal that has rocked the service.
In an investigative piece by ace journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, thirty-four judges at the country’s High Courts, the Circuit and District courts were captured on camera allegedly taking bribes from litigants whose cases come before them.
The situation has cast doubt on the judiciary’s independence with a section of the populace chastising the indicted judges for ‘compromising’ justice.
But President Mahama in a Facebook post urged the citizenry to have faith in the judicial system since the situation, “is not a problem of our judicial system as a whole.”
According to him, the investigations that have gone into the issue are indications that the judiciary can be trusted.
“We must also understand that this is a problem of some people who may or may not be guilty: it’s for the investigators and the judges to decide. However, this is not a problem of our judicial system as a whole. This is not something to make us lose our faith in the judicial system. On the contrary, the investigations that began these days prove beyond doubt that our justice system is intact and working, served by many people with integrity and determination. I urge every one of you to keep faith in the system. Justice will always prevail!” he wrote.
Meanwhile, the five-member committee investigating some lower court judges cited in the Anas judicial corruption scandal can now go ahead with its work.
This is because an Accra High court presided over by Justice Getrude Torkonoo on Tuesday dismissed an injunction application filed by the fourteen judges.
The lower court judges in their suit argued that the investigative committee does not have the authority to sanction them, adding that it is only a court of competent jurisdiction that must try them before any sanction from the service.