A private legal practitioner, I.B. Akwantey has petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to remove from office Justice Dennis Dominic Adjei of the Court of Appeal for allegedly collecting money from judges of the lower bench for promotions and the opportunity to study abroad.

According to the petitioner, in one instance, Justice Adjei is said to have collected Ghc2,000 from Judge Benjamin Osei and promised to add his name to a promotions list which he compiles.

Article 146 (3) of the 1992 Constitution provides that, “If the President receives a petition for the removal of Justices of a Superior Court other than the. Chief Justice or for the removal of the Chairman of a Regional Tribunal, he shall refer the petition to the Chief Justice, who shall determine whether there is a prima facie case.”

I.B. Akwantey filed the petition based on the above constitutional provision.

According to the petition, Justice Adjei told Judge Osei that he had finished compiling the pending list, and mentioned that Judge Kwame Osei Gyamfi of Goaso Circuit had been added.

After taking the money, Justice Dennis Dominic Adjei allegedly advised Judge Osei to see His Honour Bernard Bentil, also of the Chief Justice Secretariat.

“Justice Adjei is reported to have described Judge Bentil as the ‘Chief of Staff’ at the Chief Justice Secretariat.

“According to Judge Osei, he also went to ‘see’ Judge Bentil and, between the two of them, an amount of Ghc4.000 was taken from Judge Benjamin Osei”, the petition said.

The petitioner said the singular case of taking money for promotion, if true, goes to confirm the rumour that promotions are both for sale and discriminatory.

“To my mind, it is no coincidence that some of us have worked tirelessly over eight years without being invited once to write promotion exams.

“Judge Benjamin Osei had worked with the judiciary for 18 years without blemish, but he is still a Circuit Court Judge.

“He, therefore, decided to put the two big men at the Chief Justice Secretariat to test, and it proved positive,” I.B. Akwantey said in the petition.

He said Judge Benjamin Osei is very passionate about this matter and is ever prepared to testify and prove that Justice Adjei collected the money from him, adding that Judge Osei is also prepared to describe the circumstances under which the money was paid to the “big men” at the Chief Justice Secretariat.