Judicial probe "convicts" judge

Two judges, both women, have had allegations of impropriety and misconduct brought against hem by members of the public and these allegations have largely been upheld by internal inquiries conducted by the Judicial Service.

One of the women is Mrs Anderson-Yebuah, who has had several allegations of corruption standing in her name. She was found guilty by a one-man investigator. The other is a Mampong Community Tribunal judge, Mrs Akoto Bamfo (not the famous Accra High Court Judge), docked for non-performance. The judge had been sitting on several part-heard cases for two years, thus impeding the speedy flow of justice.

Mrs Anderson-Yebuah appeared to have a cupful of cases to deal with apart from the immediate case that stirred the hornet’s nest- a case that involved assault with a gun, over land in a suburb of Accra. Both cases have been heard and referred to the Chief Justice for action, but he has in turn referred it to the Judicial Council, which has the powers of a court.

They will have the final opportunity to tell the council why they should not be dismissed from the service. Already, Mrs Anderson-Yebuah is no longer sitting on any case at the Circuit Tribunal, which she chairs. She had already come into some controversy in cases involving the hardworking but controversial man of God, Apostle Augustine Annor-Yeboah of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC).

In the case in which Mrs Anderson-Yebuah presided, Annor-Yeboah dragged one of his own pastors, Pastor Kusi Tabiri of the Tema Assembly, on charge of fraud and had him thrown into jail for a five-year term. On appeal, the case was thrown out and Annor Yeboah and the judge’s judgement attacked. Kusi Tabiri regained his freedom a few months ago.

In another, the famous Djentuh and Ezanetor Rawlings affair, Mrs Anderson-Yebuah convicted Mr and Mrs Djentuh on assault charges brought against them by the state in which the Rawlingses had clear interests. That conviction was also overturned on appeal.

Two years ago, the then acting Chief Justice (CJ), now the substantive CJ, His Lordship Mr Justice Wiredu, launched a crusade to cleanse the judiciary of corruption and invited anyone who had information on corrupt members of the Bar and Bench to provide information. The call was answered by a number of people, including CAC members from the Kumasi Assembly who supplied some information.

Mr Anderson-Yebuah, and later an Accra lawyer, Mr Atta Kyea, were invited by the CJ in the Annor Yeboah case in which allegations were leveled of bribery of judicial officers and improper transfer of cases from Kumasi to Accra courts.

Mr Atta Kyea and NDC’s Kwaku Baah handled Annor Yeboah’s cases, including the one involving the jailed pastor, which ruling was overturned. The victim and a number of witnesses freely turned up at the Supreme Court buildings to testify against her.