Chief Justice asked to resign amidst judicial scandal

A former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kweku Ansah Asare, is calling for the head of the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, saying she must bear the brunt of all the allegations levelled against the judiciary.

“If this thing had happened in Britain or America or Germany, the head of the judiciary would have tendered in his or her resignation. It is a matter of principle…the buck must stop on her desk.”

Mr Ansah Asare made this call in an interview with TV3’s Thomas Adotei Pappoe on Monday, September 14, following the bribery scandal that has rocked the judiciary.

An almost two-year investigative work by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas has shaken to the core, the judicial arm of government, with 34 justices implicated.

The Chief Justice has set up a committee that is looking into the involvement of the high and lower court judges as well as some court officials.

Twenty-two circuit court justices and magistrates have already been interdicted with ten high court justices given a September 14 deadline to submit responses to the allegations.

But revealing how strict and principled Ms. Wood is, Mr Ansah Asare insists that she should wig down in the face of the allegations against her officers.

“If what Anas did was all credit, she would have taken all the credit, so if it is dishonourable, she must accept it.”

Asked whether the scandal can be venomous to Ghana’s reputation, the law luminary said: “On a more positive note, I think Ghana is going to come out the better. It depends on how we are able to handle and manage this delicate issue.”