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22 judges in Ghana suspended over alleged corrupt conduct

Xinhua, September 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

Authorities in Ghana have suspended 22 judges of Circuit Magistrate courts while placing 12 High Court judges under investigation, a statement said here late Wednesday.

This follows allegations of bribery against some justices of the courts in a yet to be released video evidence by a local investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

News about the new exposure by the ace-journalist implicating some prominent high court judges has dominated local media since Monday.

Previews of the videos indicate that while some of the 34 judges captured on video were heard demanding huge sums of money in exchange for prisoners and criminals on trial, others were caught demanding sexual favors to influence their judgments.

Accordingly, the journalist was said to have petitioned the country's president and chief justice to commence impeachment proceedings against the justices.

The statement signed by Justice Alex B. Poku-Acheampong, Secretary to the Judicial Council, said none of the culprits would be spared if found culpable.

The Judicial Council said the president had subsequently written to the Council asking the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, to take the appropriate steps.

"The Judicial Council would like to assure the general public that the outcome of these processes would be made fully public and no one will be spared appropriate sanctions where culpability is established," the statement said.

It said the council was fully aware that the perception or actuality of corruption in the Judiciary undermined confidence in the institution and could not be tolerated in any shape or form.

The Judicial Council has had cause to dismiss some judges in recent years over such corrupt practices.

The Council said it wrote to the affected circuit court judges and magistrates on Monday, stating the allegations leveled against them and respond by Wednesday.

The 22 are to remain suspended until investigations are concluded into the allegations while impeachment proceedings are being prepared against the 12 High Court judges also on the tape.

Meanwhile the Council said it had constituted a five-member committee to investigate the matter following a petition, while investigations were underway to identify court officials who might have collaborated with the judges in the bribery scandal. Endit