CJ must probe Oyes involvement with the SC verdict Nana Ama Okrowhini The Supreme Court segment of the Vikileaks series is being touted as the most stunning part of the Victoria Hammah exposé; and it is our position that any dealing which has the proclivity to impugn the integrity of the Judiciary in a democracy should be interrogated thoroughly, more so when corruption has assumed a crisis dimension in the country. We think that the revelation has afforded the country a rare opportunity to put under the microscope, the verdict of the Supreme Court on the 2012 election petition. Ignoring the calls to do so is not an option under the prevailing circumstances. The Chief Justice should not provide impetus for further questioning of the integrity of the Judiciary by ignoring the calls for an interrogation of the leak regarding the alleged meeting between Oye Lithur and some judges—an engagement which allegedly altered the verdict. No efforts or even resources would be too much if these are intended to restore the integrity of a fractured Judiciary. These are challenging times in the history of the Judiciary which should prove beyond reasonable doubt its readiness to address such issues as the allegation under review. Her Ladyship’s promise to deal with corruption whenever it rears its head under her jurisdiction is something she has the opportunity to make good now. There is no doubt that the Judiciary, as it stands today, is in a limping mode, having lost credibility among many Ghanaians. It is unfortunate that things have taken this turn because the bench, as it is constituted, has some of the finest ladies and gentlemen manning it, and whose output have endeared them to many in this country. For some of its membership to therefore compromise the high position they hold as implied by Victoria Hammah, is something that should not be countenanced as an effective means of addressing the corruption contagion eating away at its integrity. For a country fighting a running battle with endemic corruption, this is a revelation which should trigger action on the part of the Chief Justice, to unravel the truth and arrest the Judiciary’s ebbing integrity. These are not the issues which should be merely and tersely denied on the pages of newspapers with the expectation of government minders that these would pour cold water over the political inferno. An allegation by a deputy minister of state that a government minister had influenced the verdict of the election petition is not the kind of subject to be brushed aside as a nonsensical gossip. The questions which clouded the integrity of the verdict when it was finally delivered make an interrogation even more profound. Mrs. Oye Lithur, the lady at the centre of the allegation, as part of a coordinated response, issued a denial. Only a probe can unravel the veracity or otherwise of it and not the word of Mrs. Oye Lithur. Not even a denial by the arrested driver under duress can sweep the matter away. --Culled from Daily Guide
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 14:40:06 +0000
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