Court sets May 26 as Judgment Day for Justice Dery

A five member Supreme Court panel chaired by Justice Julius Ansah has set May 26, 2016 as judgment day for a suit filed by two embattled high court judges over a cut of half of their salaries.

Justice Paul Uuter Dery and Gilbert Ayisi Addo, two of the judges implicated in the judicial corruption exposé have sued the Chief Justice, the Controller and Accountant General and five other government institutions in court for cutting down their salaries by half.

Kasapa FM’s court correspondent Daakyehene Ofosu Agyeman reported that lawyer for the plaintiffs, Mrs Sika Abla Addo pleaded with the court to strike out Judicial Secretary, Director of Finance, the Paymaster, the Controller and Accountant-General since they are not interested parties.

The Judicial Council, the Chief Justice and the Attorney General are the remaining defendants in the matter.

The two judges received letters dated 8th and 11th January from the Judicial Council informing them that they will from immediate effect receive only half of their salaries.

They have in effect, filed a writ at the Supreme Court arguing that the letters which also suspended the payment of their allowances except rent “is inconsistent with and in contravention of Article 127(5) of the 1992 Constitution and therefore unconstitutional, null and void.”

Justice Dery and Ayisi Addo are seeking a court order nullifying the decisions taken by the Judicial Council and are also praying the court to place a perpetual injunction restraining the Judicial Council, its assigns, privies, servants, agents among others from implementing the two decisions.

It would be recalled that ace-journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas publicly made an exposé involving some 34 lower and higher court judges captured in a video allegedly taking bribes to influence the course of justice.

Justice Dery and Ayisi Addo were part of the 34 lower and higher court judges.

In the heat of the revelation, the Judicial Council subsequently constituted various committees to investigate the matter and make recommendations to it, leading to the removal of 23 lower court judges from office.