Bribery: Ghana judges fail to stop court proceedings
An Accra High Court in Ghana has dismissed a case filed by 14 High Court judges and magistrates seeking to halt disciplinary proceedings against them.
The High Court judges and magistrates, who were fingered in a bribery scandal, had jointly sought an order restraining the disciplinary committee set up by the Chief Justice and the Judicial Council from investigating them.
They argued that the five-member disciplinary committee was not the proper body to try them for misconduct.
But the High Court presided over by Justice Gertrude Torkornu dismissed their application, saying that the court could not interfere in the Judicial Council’s administrative functions.
The office of the Attorney-General in its preliminary objection said the plaintiffs’ action lacked merit and therefore should be dismissed.
The plaintiffs had contended that unless the disciplinary committee empanelled by the Chief Justice of the Republic was restrained, they were at risk of being removed from office, based on the recommendations of the illegal disciplinary committee under rather dubious and disturbing circumstances.
With the ruling of the court, the disciplinary committee could continue with its enquiry into the bribery allegation.
The committee shelved sitting pending the determination of the action by the judicial officers.
Meanwhile, another Accra High Court has dismissed the contempt proceedings initiated by one of the judges, Justice Paul Dery against five journalists. The defendants were Anas Aremeyaw Anas, two editors of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulaimana Braimah and the CEO of Starr FM, Kwabena Anakye Addisi.