Stamping out bribery in Judicial Service
Corruption as a social phenomenon still exists in almost all countries of the world, including Ghana, regardless of political developments.
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The phenomenon hinders the process of social and economic development that attracts investment.
Its negative impact on the political and social institutions of the democratic state poses a serious threat to the future development of the country.
Corruption undermines the core of the administration of justice, generating a substantial obstacle to the right to an impartial trial and severely undermines the population's trust in the judiciary.
The Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, touched on the matter recently at a community engagement in Akwatia in the Eastern Region where she advised the public not to pay bribes to court officials who request money ostensibly on behalf of judges for favourable decisions.
She said it was a crime against the standards of the Judicial Service for court officials to demand money before performing their duties, meant to enhance Justice delivery.
The Chief Justice explained that cooperation from the public in reporting cases of bribery, as demanded by court staff, would help the Judicial Service to stop the despicable and unpatriotic activities of court officials who created a market of siphoning money from court users on the pretext of giving it to judges.
“Any court registrar, interpreter, clerk, recorder or any staff who asks for money to be given to a judge is a thief.
The truth is that in majority of these instances, the judges have not requested any money; the money does not go to them, and they are not even aware.’’
“Report such staff to the police and the Judicial Service.
We will investigate, and I will sack them if they are culpable and also ensure that they are decisively dealt with.
This is a bad culture destroying the image of the Judiciary, and we are determined to stamp it out,” she said.
The Daily Graphic is totally aligned with Justice Torkornoo’s advice because as citizens of our dear nation, it is important that we allow the courts to serve us well.
We must come together and prevent all the bottlenecks which frustrate people with the judicial system.
When the Judiciary succeeds, we will enjoy peace and prosperity.
Corruption has a variety of faces, bribery being only one of them, another being political corruption, much more unattainable and imprecise.
Its broad range of action enables it not only to influence the judicial system, but all the sectors of state administration as well.
Illicit interferences with justice can also be violent, particularly when perpetrated directly by members of organised crime.
These forays are intended to secure specific objectives, such as the closing of a particular case or the acquittal of a given individual.
Corruption leads to serious violations of the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens.
It seriously discredits the state apparatus and undermines its credibility.
While discussing the matter, we cannot be oblivious of the fact that the issue is a self-perpetuating vicious cycle at the heart of the way the police and courts function.
Judicial officers, driven by a variety of factors, are poised and pressured to seize opportunities for bribery.
This feeds into the reality that justice is influenced heavily by money and power as well as the perception among citizens that justice is always for sale.
Yet this very perception leads citizens to accept and even anticipate bribery (i.e. pay before there is even a demand for payment), reinforcing the very phenomenon (officials’ demands for bribes) that is so much disliked.
Citizens do not know the laws and procedures used by courts and often possess erroneous beliefs of what these payments (bribes) are supposed to do.
The primary source of information when faced with a criminal justice crisis is one’s social network which makes these misinformation and rumours exponentially powerful.
The lack of accurate information makes citizens vulnerable to manipulation by judicial officers whereby they become complicit to a corrupt act without knowing it.
It also can lead citizens to assume that all inefficiencies and negative experiences such as delays and acquittals, among others, are caused by corruption.
In turn, this reinforces the perception that justice is for sale and the likelihood that citizens will participate in bribery.
We commend the Chief Justice for her efforts at bringing the Judiciary closer to the people and Ghanaians must help her campaign to weed out the bad lots in the Judicial Service.
