Pressure groups calls for transparency in the country's judiciary

19-08-2011
A group calling itself Forum for Governance and Justice (FGJ) with support from 8 pressure groups including the Coalition of Northern Senior High School Students (CONOSHSS), have expressed their displeasure on the alleged continuous victimization of four legal practitioners. The lawyers are reported to have made comments about the perceived corruption in the Country’s Judiciary system. At a press conference in Bolgatanga, it was revealed that the said four lawyers namely, Dr Raymond Atuguba, Abraham Amaliba, David Annan and the late Larry Bimmi have since been denied access to the courts of Ghana since May this year. This, the group said amounts to a breach of their constitutional rights and a blatant attempt to intimidate lawyers. According to them it is relatively wrong to punish the lawyers for exercising their right to free speech as enshrined in the country’s constitution. A leading member, Forum for Governance and Justice, an organization precipitated by the alleged injustice, Dr Clement Apaak, told the media that corruption in the judiciary was indeed a reality and not a rumour or attempt to tarnish the image of the profession taken into cognizance the report of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) on the Transparency International (TI) Global Corruption Report of 2007. The outcome of the report he said was confirmed through comments made by the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, Her Lordship Georgina Wood on the eve of the launch in her capacity as the Judicial and Administrative Head of the Judiciary. He therefore described the action taken by the Association of Magistrate and Judges towards the four lawyers as ‘ill-motivated” stating that the association should immediately revoke their sanctions and render an unqualified apology to the lawyers. Dr Apaak also on behalf of the other pressure groups, challenged the Association of Judges and Magistrates, the organization that caused the lawyers to be boycotted, the General Legal Council and the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council, to act swiftly by responding to the numerous suits filed by his outfit since they would do anything within the confines of the law to ensure that justice prevails. He disclosed that a law suit has been filed at the Supreme Court to adjudicate on the matter and would implore all well meaning Ghanaians including human right groups to rise up to the challenge and demand justice for the four gallant lawyers. Dr Apaak moreover called on citizens who have fallen prey to judicial victimization and corruption to contact his outfit via fgj@gmail.com for redress.