Corruption in the judiciary has been exaggerated – Chief Justice nominee
The Chief Justice nominee Justice Anin Yeboah has mounted a spirited defence for the judiciary which has over the period been tagged as one of the corrupt institutions in Ghana.
Responding to a question posed by a member of the appointments committee of parliament, Justice Anin Yeboah said he will not rule out the fact that corruption happens in the courts.
“As for the corruption, I cannot sit here and say that it doesn’t exist at all. But it has been exaggerated” he posited.
He recounted a case in which a judge was tagged corrupt but then turned out his clerk was responsible for the corrupt acts.
“There was a Judge, Justice Wutor at Koforidua. He was a very strict Judge. He acquitted somebody in a criminal appeal for stealing and when the appeal was argued, everybody knew the guy was going to go out. Then the next day, Justice Wutor was driving to get some stationery for his children
“Then he met a poor woman who knelt saying I have to thank you for sending your interpreter to come for some money to acquit my son. So the Judge put her in his vehicle and drove her to the police station, lodged a complaint and within two hours, this gentleman was arrested” he stated.
He, however, cautioned that no Judge will be spared if he or she is found guilty of corruption.
Justice Anin Yeboah urged Ghanaians to be bold enough to prove some corruption allegations they make against some Judges.
A recent Afrobarometer survey on corruption perception saw the judiciary being the second most corrupt institution in Ghana.
The Institution which topped the list was the Ghana Police Service while Parliament came third on the list.
According to the report which was launched in Accra on December 3, 2019, 57 per cent of people interviewed perceived the police as the most corrupt. Forty per cent pointed to judges and magistrates as second most corrupt, with Members of Parliament (MPs) following in that order with 36 per cent.
An investigation by investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas also uncovered some corrupt practices in some of the country’s courts.
This led to the removal of some Judges.