President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has detached the last three high court judges in connection with the Anas Aremeyaw Anas investigations from office on the grounds of bribery and corruption.
They are Mr. Ayisi Addo, Mr. Uuter Paul Dery, and Mr. Mustapha Habib Logoh.
In 2015, ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas released a video from more than a two-year project on judicial corruption which exposed some justices of the High Court, Circuit Court, District Court and Judicial Service staff taking bribes to compromise their decisions.
The Anas investigations caught more than 100 members of staff of the Judicial Service on video either extorting money, receiving bribe or engaging in sex scandals.
The video, which detailed the forms the corruption took, showed how 34 of the culprits, judges at the High [12], the Circuit and the District courts [22], took bribes, including goats and foodstuffs.
Some of them were linked to sex scandals and extortion in the two-year investigation by ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
After investigations by the Judicial Council, the affected judges and judicial service staff were dismissed.
However, the removal of the three justices, Ayisi Addo, Uuter Paul Dery, and Mustapha Habib Logoh were put on hold following a challenge put up by them on the allegations in court.
CID action
In a statement signed and issued in Accra on Sunday December 16, 2018 by Mr Eugene Arhin, the Director of Communications at the Presidency, the Presidency explained that the Committee established by the Chief Justice to look into the matter concluded that the conduct of the Justices amounted to a criminal offence under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, (Act 29) (as amended).
Accordingly, it said the President, in accordance with the provisions of Article 146(9) of the Constitution, has acted on the recommendations of the Committee, as the Constitution enjoins him to do, and has, accordingly, removed the three Justices of the High Court from office on the grounds of bribery and corruption.
The President has also directed that a copy of the Committee’s report be submitted to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service for the requisite action to be taken.
Below is a copy of the statement
PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO REMOVES THREE JUSTICES OF THE HIGH COURT FRQM QFFICE
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has, by letter dated Thursday, 6th December, 2018, removed Mr. Justice Ayisi Addo, Mr. Justice Uuter Paul Dery, and Mr. Justice Mustapha Habib Logoh, from office as Justices of the High Court.
This was after the Committee established by the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, pursuant to Article 146(4) of the Constitution, to investigate a complaint lodged against the three judges by Mr. Anas Aremeyaw Anas, recommended their removal from office.
The President, in accordance with the provisions of Article 146(9) of the Constitution, has acted on the recommendations of the Committee, as the Constitution enjoins him to do, and has, accordingly, removed the three Justices of the High Court from office on the grounds of bribery and corruption.
The Committee concluded that the conduct of the Justices amounted to a criminal offence under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, (Act 29) (as amended).
President Akufo-Addo has, thus, directed that a copy of the Committee’s report be submitted to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service for the requisite action to be taken.
Eugene Arhin
Director of Communications
Source: https://www.graphic.com.gh