Private Legal Practitioner and law Lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, UPSA, Justice Abdulai says the Chief Justice, His Lordship Kwasi Anin-Yeboah is honest.
To that end, he said and for the bribery allegation to be leveled against him shows how grievous the matter is.
The Chief Justice was fingered in a $5 million bribery allegation made against him by Mr. Akwasi Afrifa, a lawyer. The lawyer’s client in a petition filed against him [ Akwasi Afrifa] by one Nana Ogyeedom Atta IVat the disciplinary committee of the General Legal Counsel.
The Chief Justice has denied the allegations and petitioned the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, to investigate the matter.
Commenting on the matter on the Sunrise morning show on 3FM 92.7, Justice Abdulai said “ I will never pretend that I know the Chief Justice in and out but the little I know about him, he is an honest person which is why I will rather call for a public inquiry”
According to Justice Abdulai, the plaintiff in the matter, Akwasi Afrifa, is a very senior lawyer and probably qualifies to sit at the Supreme Court because of his pedigree.
“Am sure if this matter has been raised by any other lawyer…. but the person raising it, it makes it difficult to simply just overlook it and the circumstances that it was also raised and the people to whom this petition was sent to; We should remember the Chief Justice is the Head of the entire Judiciary which includes the disciplinary committee of the General Legal Counsel . He is literally the owner of all these positions but the members are solid persons of high reputation and so they are not people that you can easily push around”.
Contrary to calls for the resignation of the Chief Justice, Justice Abdulai said “The Chief Justice has a lot of administrative duties to perform; we do not have a deputy chief justice and if we go by the practices of this country which I do not support [nobody steps aside for anything], the chief justice has no control over the CID but I understand the political connection that may exist and which could potentially result to not too quality findings into this”.
He however called for a frank discussion about the matter by having a public inquiry launched into the matter.
“I have also looked at the possibility of CHRAJ looking into all of these which is why I will like a public inquiry into this, not the president triggering a potential impeachment proceedings against the chief justice. I think it is in the interest of all of us”.