Judiciary, International Bar Association sign anti-corruption agreement
Ghana's Judiciary has signed an anti-corruption compact agreement with the International Bar Association (IBA) to further enhance judicial integrity.
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The compact, which is an initiative of the IBA, is aimed at mobilising anti-corruption crusaders in judicial systems across the world.
The Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, signed on behalf of the Judicial Service, while the President of the IBA, Mr David Rivkin, initialled for his organisation.
Mrs Justice Wood said the signing ceremony was significant because of the corruption scandal which rocked Ghana’s Judiciary in 2015.
She said the scandal was a timely reminder of the enormous task that the Judiciary faced as an institution and the need for it to live up to public expectation.
Code of Conduct
The Chief Justice said the anti-corruption compact reiterated the fundamental standards and principles that run through the Code of Conduct of the Judiciary.
She said Ghana was the first country to publicly commit to the compact and said “what we must do now is commit to strictly uphold and abide by the dictates of both the Code of Conduct and the compact in guiding our actions for the effective delivery of justice”.
Mrs Justice Wood said signatories to the compact would be publicly expressing their abhorrence for judicial corruption, while pledging their commitment to avoid all corrupt conduct and acts of impropriety and at the same time pledging their loyalty to the principles of professional integrity and ethical conduct in their various careers.
Mr Rivkin
For his part, Mr Rivkin said he embarked on an anti-corruption drive when he assumed office as President of the IBA.
He said it was important to eliminate corruption to ensure the integrity of the Judiciary.
According to him, all other forms of corruption could be tackled when judicial corruption was nipped in the bud.
Other speakers
The Judicial Secretary, Mr Alex Poku-Acheampong, noted that the signing of the compact had taken place at a time when Ghana’s Judiciary had come under scrutiny.
The President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Mr Benson Nutsukpui, said signing the agreement was a sign that Ghana’s Judiciary endorsed the ideals of the compact.
