Transparency International and its local chapter, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) are calling on the Ghanaian authorities to ensure a thorough investigation into the evidences brought up against some High and Lower Court Judges by Anas Aremeyaw Anas without any interference.
“The accusations are serious and we expect a thorough investigation that is both transparent and speedy so the people of Ghana know that they can trust their legal system. Judges should abide by the law and not be above the law,” said Chantal Uwimana, Regional Director for Africa at Transparency International said in a statement released in Accra Tuesday.
The Executive Director of GII, Vitus Azeem also commenting on the matter said, “Only a transparent handling of these investigations and subsequent sanctions for those found guilty will help Ghana avoid any possible negative impact that these allegations could have on the justice delivery system in Ghana.”
The anti-corruption organisation also wants the country to ensure that there is maximum protection for the ace investigative journalist, Anas, and his team that produced the evidence against the Judges who are currently being probed by the Judicial Council.
In the opinion of the GII, there hasn’t been proactive measures to stem corruption in the Judiciary and expressed the hope that the evidence produced by Anas will be the turning point.
It cited a report it published in 2006 titled ‘Monitoring Judiciary Corruption in Ghana’ where the Chief Justice at that time promised to take steps to clean up the system, a promise it said did not yield the much needed results.
It said the high number of judicial officials implicated points to a systemic problem that needs to be addressed urgently.
“The Judicial Council’s findings and recommendations should be made public,” noted Mr. Azeem.
By: Kasapafmonline.com/Ghana
