President Mills urges Judiciary to partner Executive to fight corruption

President John Evans Attah Mills reiterating his commitment to fight corruption, on Thursday, urged the Judiciary to work with the Executive to punish wrongdoers to rid the society of criminals.

“Let me state here and now that I remain undaunted by attempts to thwart the fight against corruption by legal and technical means,” he said, when delivering the State of the Nation address to Parliament in Accra.

The President said: “While urging our honourable Justices to live up to their noble calling of independent arbiters, I would also like to remind them that they have as much responsibility as other arms of government in ridding the society of criminal elements, thereby ensuring justice for the citizenry and other persons.”

He explained that there was a perception that sometimes criminal elements were left off the hook by some members of the Judiciary.

When President Mills broached the subject, which he described as being of much interest to his audience, he was heckled by the Minority with shouts of the now popular refrain, “gargantuan,” and its related song about Woyome judgement debt.

However, the President said, “I do not care whose ox is gored when it comes to the fight against corruption. “And neither will I be off-tracked by all the sideline comments that are being made to befuddle the hardcore issues.”

However, this was received with boos and jeers from the Minority side that was clad in mourning attire, in protest against what they term ‘corruption by public officials.’

President Mills said the issue of corruption as well as many other issues, including drug related crimes, reflected negatively on governance and called on the Judiciary to collaborate with the Executive to “rid the country of corruption, hard drugs and other harmful activities.”

“Any perception that the Judiciary is on the side of wrongdoers undermines democracy and the institutions of democracy,” he said.

The address is in fulfilment of Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution, which requires the President to at the beginning of each session of Parliament deliver a message on the State of the Nation.