Private legal practitioner Elikplim Lorlormavor Agbemava has described the privileges of Anas Aremeyaw Anas from the judiciary as unprecedented.
According to the lawyer with over 20 years at the bar, he has never witnessed such a privilege given to Anas given to anybody else.
He also claimed that no one has ever had such a privilege in any judicial jurisprudence.
In his opinion, such a privilege should never be granted to anyone again if we want fair and natural justice to be served.
"The judicial privileges that Anas has enjoyed in this country including testifying in court whilst hiding his identity from his ‘victims’ is one that is unknown to any legal jurisprudence in the world. Again, the waiver of the right to in camera hearings of the cases concerning the bribery and corruption of some of the judges is one that must never be repeated. We cannot bend the rules of natural Justice just because someone has caught a “thief”.
He was reacting to the Accra High Court’s decision to dismiss Kennedy Agyapong’s defamation suit as meritless.
He slammed those who called the ruling a sham, saying it is unfortunate for people to attack the judge and the court.
”Finally the judiciary do err but it must not be the basis for saying a judge has written rubbish in his judgement. The rule of law must be defended at all cost.”
Read his opinion below
Some people have written some of the worst things about the Judge in the latest Anas case that cannot be compared to anything ever written. The Judiciary apart from being the main institution for Justice is also a leveller. From my 20 years experience at the Bar, I have come to realize that social justice is also an important part of the work of the Courts. The Courts will not suffer only the defendant to be condemned when the Plaintiff is equally guilty of the social vices.
The judicial privileges that Anas has enjoyed in this country including testifying in court whilst hiding his identity from his ‘victims’ is one that is unknown to any legal jurisprudence in the world. Again, the waiver of the right to in-camera hearings of the cases concerning the bribery and corruption of some of the judges is one that must never be repeated. We cannot bend the rules of natural Justice just because someone has caught a “thief”.
The essence of the rule of law is to hold all the laws both positive and negative in place until the truth is unearthed. If we have to bend a rule to find the truth then we are deluding ourselves.
Finally, it must not be the basis for saying a judge has written rubbish in his judgement. The rule of law must be defended at all costs.