The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has asked Chief Justice His Lordship Justice Anin Yeboah to step down over the alleged $5 million bribery allegation against him.
It is the case of the NDC that the CJ who is the one who disciplines other judicial staff over misconduct cannot remain in office over an alleged bribery allegation.
General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketiah addressing a press briefing on the issue, said ”the difficulty with the current case compared to that of the Anas judiciary expose would concern the CJ, who is the subject of the bribery allegations in this matter and in whom disciplinary authority against judicial officers is vested under Article 18 of the Judicial Service Act”.
He explained that the Act provides that the CJ is vested with the authority to discipline all judicial officers in the country but now you have an allegation being made against the person who should be the disciplinarian. That is a difficult situation there.
Therefore good governance dictates that the CJ steps aside during the pendency of the investigation by the Judicial Service relative to his conduct as a Supreme Court judge.
He said if we decide to go on that route, then it means that the person who is a disciplinarian cannot discipline himself.
He added it would be appropriate for the CJ to step aside until the probe is over, resume if he is exonerated or faces the consequences if found culpable.
The chief scribe said due to the considerable interest in the matter, we need a transparent and full-blown public enquiry and can be done by invoking Article 278 of the 1992 constitution under which Parliament can by a resolution compel the President to set up a committee to probe the matter in a transparent matter and make a faithful outcome thereof.
The allegation he posited has tarnished the image of not the judiciary but the chieftaincy institution and the nation at large.
By: Rainbowradioonlinr.com