Get to the bottom of bribery allegation

The decision of the 2012 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; his running mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and the National Chairman of the party, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, to go to the Supreme Court to challenge the declaration of President Mahama as the winner of last year’s presidential election was seen as a step in the right direction.
If for nothing, it enabled us to use a more civilised way to resolve our disagreement over political issues, rather than the path some of our African brothers have gone.

As the case went on for eight months, both the petitioners and the respondents and their followers and admirers affirmed their trust in the Supreme Court justices and pledged to abide by the ruling of the justices.

Thankfully, immediately after the judgement had been given, Nana Akufo-Addo publicly announced his acceptance of the ruling after he had called the President to congratulate him, while President Mahama called for unity in a speech to the nation.

Since then, many are those who have commented on the ruling of the court as a whole and the views of the individual judges.

This is to be expected, since it is normal in any court case.

The Daily Graphic, however, finds it disturbing that allegations of bribery are being made against the Supreme Court judges that cast a slur on the Presidency and the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, as published by the New Free Press, a private newspaper, and amplified on the Morning Show on Kessben FM, a private radio station, both in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.

The Manhyia Palace has denied the report that the Asantehene facilitated the alleged bribery of the judges to rule in favour of President Mahama and described the allegation as a move to malign the Asantehene.

By their training and vocation, we do not expect the judges to publicly comment on the issue.

Fortunately, the Daily Graphic has learnt that the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service has started investigations into the allegations.

The Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Superintendent of Police Cephas Arthur, rightly said bribery was a very serious allegation, and since it concerned the Presidency and the Judiciary, this must not be left without thorough investigations.

Our concern is that there have been many cases into which the security services have announced investigations but whose conclusions have not been made public. We hope the author of the story will cooperate with the police to investigate this matter.

Before judgement on the petition was delivered, the National Media Commission, the National Communications Authority and the Ghana Journalists Association cautioned the media about the need to avoid using their platforms to disturb the peace of the country.

The advice should still be valid.

We urge the police to thoroughly investigate this matter and get to the bottom of it.

If the allegations are found to be true, let us name, shame and take the necessary actions against anyone involved. In the same breath, if they are false, we as a nation will be emboldened to deal with persons who make unsubstantiated allegations against any citizen.

Daily Graphic/Ghana