Anas Video: 14 Judges go to court to stop work of Judicial Council
Fourteen Circuit Court judges have dragged the Judicial Council to the Fast Track High Court over disciplinary proceedings instituted against them for allegedly receiving bribes to compromise their decisions.
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Per their reliefs, the 14 are seeking to halt the work of the Disciplinary Committee of the Judicial Council, which is currently gathering facts for onward submission to the Judicial Council.
The plaintiffs are Emmanuel Kofi Sunu, Benjamin Yaw Osei, Kodwo Filson, Seyram Tsatsu Azumah, Isaac Akwantey and Florence Ninepence.
Others are Jacob Amponsah, Alfred K. A. Mensah, Albert Zoogah, Isaac Amoah, Michael Gyamfi Boamah, Paul Alhassan, Stephen Asuure and William Baffoe.
They are seeking a declaration that the disciplinary proceedings by the Judicial Council against the plaintiffs are contrary to law and or due process.
Another relief being sought by the plaintiffs is a “declaration that the panel constituted by the Chief Justice to institute disciplinary proceedings against plaintiffs has no legal basis and, therefore, is null and void.”
Investigations
Meanwhile, the 14 judges are being investigated alongside eight others for allegedly receiving various sums to free accused persons charged with different crimes.
They have since been shown video footages in which they are captured taking bribes but the Daily Graphic has gathered that the face of one of the judges did not tally with the name attached to it.
Therefore, that particular judge has been cleared on the grounds of mistaken identity, while his name has been substituted with that of the judge captured in the video.
The Daily Graphic sources said some of the judges were queried after the screening of the video on whether or not they still stood by their position that they were innocent of any crimes.
At the time of going to the press, the Daily Graphic gathered the judges had been given an extension to respond to the allegations.
Background
Eleven other justices of the High Court also accused of taking bribes were on Thursday given the opportunity to watch the videos after they had submitted written responses to queries.
One of them is out of the jurisdiction and could, therefore, not make it to the screening exercise.
More than 100 members of staff of the Judicial Service have been caught on tape in a three-hour video either extorting money, receiving bribe or engaging in sex scandals.
Video
The video, detailing the forms the corruption took, shows how 34 of the culprits, said to be judges at the High, the Circuit and the District courts, took bribes, including goats and foodstuffs.
Some of them have also been linked to sex scandals and extortion in the edited video emanating from a two-year investigation by ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
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