Press release by the association of concerned ghanaians in eurpoe

ACGIE COMMENDS CHIEF JUSTICE

The Association of Concerned Ghanaians in Europe (ACGIE) welcomes the decision by the Chief Justice, Her Lordship Georgina Wood to set up a committee to investigate the revelation that the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Naa Oye Lithur met several times at different locations with some of the Judges prior to the election petition verdict.

Like most Ghanaians, ACGIE believes that these are very serious allegations as they raise pertinent questions bordering on the independence, impartiality and integrity of the Supreme Court. It is equally important to point out that the Judiciary remains the last line of defence against tyranny and dictatorship, an avenue to pursue and obtain justice and a channel through which we as individual citizens can seek redress and remedies. It is therefore incumbent upon all Ghanaians to guard and protect the sanctity and integrity of this important institution from people whose actions and omissions are likely to undermine the very institution they have sworn to protect.

ACGIE views the Chief Justice’s decision as a step in the right direction and should be supported by all fair-minded Ghanaians irrespective of our political leanings or orientation. First, it signals the willingness on the part of the Chief Justice to fight corruption in her own backyard and possibly salvage the badly-damaged reputation of the Supreme Court following the 2012 election petition. Furthermore, the committee, we presume, would help unravel and ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the numerous allegations of bribery, corruption and underhand dealings that have been leveled against some of the Judges during and after the petition hearing.

ACGIE is particularly disturbed by these revelations because we were the first Ghanaian organisation in diaspora to openly declare and our support for and confidence in the Supreme Court at the start of the election petition hearing. We reiterated this position during our demonstration in Cologne on April 27 2012 and restated it once again in our petition to the President of the European Council which was copied to Heads of Governments and their respective Foreign Ministries in all the 27 member states making up the European Union. By taking this principled and consistent stand, ACGIE has put its own hard-own international reputation on the line and as such it is crucial that the Chief Justice is accorded all the necessary support to get to the bottom of these damming allegations.

It needs be stressed that the setting up of the committee must not be an end in itself but should represent a genuine and sincere attempt by the Chief Justice to fight corruption, bring sanity into the Judiciary and probably limit the damage that has been inflicted on the image and reputation of the Supreme Court. This can only be achieved if the findings of the committee are made public. Anything short of that would amount to mere window dressing and public relations gimmickry.

Signed

Kwaku Anane-Gyinde

Secretary ACGIE