[ 2017-03-10 ]

Chief Justice Geogina Wood

Private lawyer cannot represent you: Judges in judicial bribery scandal sue CJ a
There appears to be no end in sight for the
protracted legal battle between some judges found
to have traded money, gifts for justice and the
Chief Justice who dismissed them.

Three of the High court judges standing trial in
the infamous bribery scandal in the judiciary have
filed a suit challenging the choice of legal
representation for the Chief Justice Georgina
Wood.

Justices Paul Uter Dery, Mustapha Habib Logoh, and
Gilbert Ayisi Addo contend the Chief Justice erred
in law when she instructed a private legal
practitioner to represent her in court.

The three, sued the Chief Justice, ace
investigator Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his private
investigative Tiger EyePI asking the court, to
amongst other things, declare as null and void the
decision by the Chief Justice to dismiss them.

The Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood
instructed her lawyer, a private legal
practitioner, Kizito Beyuo to represent her but
even that has courted the anger of the three
judges.

The three maintain it is only the Attorney General
that can represent the Chief Justice and not a
private legal practitioner.

They have therefore filed a writ invoking the
original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to
challenge the move by the Chief Justice.

The writ, a copy of which has been intercepted by
Myjoyonline.com, is asking for a "declaration that
upon a true and proper interpretation of Article
88(1) & (5) of the 1992 Constitution the Chief
Justice, the 1st Defendant herein, acted
unconstitutionally when she purportedly instructed
Kizito Beyuo, a private legal practitioner, to
represent her as a lawyer in Suit No J1/2/2017
pending in this court, which suit is challenging
the official acts of the Chief Justice, the 1st
Defendant here in."

They want the court to declare as
unconstitutional, not only the decision by the
Chief Justice to ask Mr Beyuo to represent her but
the decision of Mr Beyuo to enter appearance for
her.

They argue that decision is alien to Ghana's
jurisprudence and must be quashed.

The petitioners, filed the writ in their
capacities as citizens of Ghana and justices of
the Superior Court of Judicature.

The defendants in the case, the Chief Justice and
the Attorney General, have 14 days within which to
file their statement of case.

The three plaintiffs are part of some 22 justices
from the lower and high courts said to have traded
monies, goats, and tubers of yams for justice.

They were caught on video collecting the bribes
thanks to investigative piece by ace journalist
Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

The magistrates were sacked shortly after the
video went viral. For some 12 justices at the High
Court, a committee was set up by the Chief Justice
to investigate the matter and determine if there
is a prima facie case against the justices.

The committee concluded its investigations and
recommended that the justices be sacked, a
recommendation the Chief Justice wasted no time in
executing.

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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