THE National Democratic Congress (NDC) has taken a swipe at the country’s judiciary and called on the Chief Justice to take immediate steps to purge the bench of what it termed “corrupt and politically biased members”.
“In order to preserve the people’s faith in the independence and sanctity of the judiciary, we appeal to the Chief Justice, Her Lordship Georgina Wood, to endeavour to take concrete steps to correct the growing public perception that the judiciary has become increasingly politically biased,” the National Chairman of the NDC, Dr Kwabena Adjei stated.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra today, Dr Adjei warned of a growing public perception that the independence of the judiciary was being compromised in the wake of the decision of the High Court to discharge the former Chief Executive of the Ghana at 50, Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, and the former Chief of Staff, Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, in the Ghana @ 50 case.
He also called on the party’s members not to stampede the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, in the discharge of her duties.
“The NDC welcomes the determination and commitment of the Attorney General to pursuing justice and wish to assure her of the fullest support of the NDC party since we are a party committed to the rule of law, fairness and justice,” he said.
Dr Adjei said as a party that was committed to the rule law for a better Ghana, the NDC could not help but to point out the growing perception and suspicion among various segments of the society that the judiciary was becoming politicised in dispensing justice, adding: “Leave Betty alone”.
The NDC Chairman said notwithstanding this, the NDC would like to give the judiciary the benefit of the doubt because it was convinced that there were still members of the bench who were committed to maintaining the integrity of the law.
He said the people’s doubt that some members of the bench were committed to maintaining the integrity of the judiciary was as a result of certain pertinent circumstances and events both before and after the coming into office of President J.E.A. Mills.
He said there were rumours and allegations that a leading New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawyer had on weekly basis been having meetings with “some leading members of the bench for the purpose of aiding the defendants in cases affecting leading members of the NPP”. He declined to give details.
Citing particular examples, Dr Adjei said during the 2008 elections, Mr Atta Akyea of the NPP filed a writ at a weekend in an attempt to restrain the Electoral Commission (EC) from holding the Tain elections and how the Chief Justice in the exercise of her discretion could have allowed the writ to be served and empanel a judge to hear and deal with the matter at the weekend and on a Christmas holiday.
He also gave instances of the hasty trial and sentencing of an NDC person for electoral fraud the same day and the recent serving of a Supreme Court writ purported to have been served on the Speaker of Parliament when the House was in session.
He described the serving of the writ as a serious breach of parliamentary privilege, the principle of separation of powers, and an infringement on the jurisdiction of Parliament.
Dr Adjei said some Ghanaians did not believe that these were mere coincidences but might be linked to a grand conspiracy.
On the most recent case, he described as false the “media propaganda rampage” by the Chairman of the NPP, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, which aimed at creating the impression that the discharge of Dr Wereko-Brobby and Mr Mpiani acquitted the two of any wrongdoing.
He said the decision did not exonerate the two men “who were found to have caused huge financial loss to Ghana through their reckless actions” and reiterated the Minister of Justice’s assurances that the case would be followed to its logical conclusion.
Dr Adjei also criticised Justice Marfo-Sao for discharging the men “based on his contentious interpretation of the constitutional provisions that govern the functions of a commission of inquiry and the relationship between such a commission and a High Court”.
He pointed out that the AG started this prosecution in exactly the same manner as those who stood trial under previous commissions of inquiry established under the eight years of the NPP regime.
Mr Chris Ackummey, a member of the Legal Committee of the party, alleged that Mr Atta Akyea had been recorded calling one of the judges in some recent cases “one of us”.
He said with such politically biased judges, not even an “Attorney General from the moon can win a case before them”.
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