The Supreme Court has dismissed a suit filed by embattled High Court Judge, Justice Paul Utter Dery, praying it to declare as void the processes adopted by the Chief Justice for his removal from office following allegations of bribery brought against him by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, and his Tiger Eye PI private investigative firm.
[contextly_sidebar id=”PCvtFiJYgTSJYZ31ITLk63KmnxVjijPP”]In their ruling, the five-member panel of justices, chaired by Justice Julius Ansah, indicated that despite the breach of the provision of confidentiality clause by the petitioner [Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Tiger Eye PI] for the removal of the justices, there is no provision for annulment of the process as a remedy to the matter.
The panel also indicated that the action by the Chief Justice could not be said to be unconstitutional as she had given the applicant an opportunity to prove his innocence before the committee set up to investigate the issue.
Justice Derry in his suit cited Anas Aremyaw Anas, the Chief Justice and the Judicial Secretary for violating his constitutional rights by putting out into the public, the alleged evidence of his misconduct when the issue was supposed to be dealt with in-camera.
The High Court Judge’s suit followed the showing of Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ judicial bribery scandal video and press releases by the Judicial Council on the matter announcing the suspension of the judges involved.
Justice Dery, who’s one of the twelve High Court justices indicted in the video, had been using every legal means to discredit the work by the investigative journalist and also to clear his name.
Already, two judges, Justice Ajet Nasam and Justice Ernest Obimpeh have been dismissed by the Judicial Council following their roles in the scandal.
This was after another committee investigating some 22 lower court judges, dismissed 20 of them after they were fairly heard and found culpable.
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By: Fred Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana