Judges In Chop Bar Jokes
He said “the Anas video has provoked all kinds of salacious conversations and discussions both in private and in the media and our judges, regrettably, have become the bat of jokes in chop bars and restaurants.”
‘Judge’ is now a word in local eating joints otherwise called chop bars. It is now common to hear people who go to such places to eat replacing goat meat with judges in their orders.
Give me GH¢3 fufu and GH¢6 judge (for goat meat) is now the common joke in chop bars, as a result of some judges demanding goats in the Anas video.
The president’s comments come on the heels of the release of a 500-hour video by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas depicting 34 judges and magistrates, over 100 court clerks, seven policemen, five state attorneys and bail contractors taking bribes to pervert justice.
The video also captured a court clerk in a sexual act for same reason.
The bribery scandal, the president said, would have adverse effects on the various arms of government and other key institutions.
“This menace affects all segments of our society—the executive, the legislature, the media, the judiciary, traditional rulers, health facilities and indeed the list is endless…”
The president said he was saddened by the scandal but stressed that he was also particularly elated about the decision by some judges who stood their ground and rejected the offers from their clients.
Thirty-four judges allegedly took bribes in cash and kind.
Most of them have been suspended pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing.
Optimism
Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood was optimistic that the service would overcome the incident and regain its integrity.
She said the judiciary, as an institution, stood at a threshold of a new dawn and asked Ghanaians to take respite from the negativities of the past weeks and join hands with them in restoring and rebuilding the judiciary.
Selfish Desires
“When you find yourself as an adversary in court, resist the temptation to find someone who knows the judge in order that you may obtain favour,” Justice Wood advised.
According to her, “The judiciary is poised to stand, thrive and overcome the present scourge imposed on us by the events of the past…We cannot allow the selfish desires of the minority in our midst to undo our efforts and expectations.”
The CJ noted that the new building signified an opportunity for a new beginning and urged all to resolve to build a judicial system that assured litigants and countrymen of justice and justified the fact that “indeed those who uphold the cause of justice are more than those who pervert it.”
Stop-gap Judges
She said that as part of the shortfalls in the system due to the scandal, 15 Appeal Court judges would be tasked to sit as additional High Court judges.
This, according to the CJ, was part of measures being put in place to ensure that the courts of the implicated judges run normally.
Call for Review
The CJ hinted that the judicial service would also review the criteria for the selection of judges with a focus that “will reflect the desire to improve on the behavioural aspects of judges.”
The focus, she explained, was going to be more on the moral and ethical values in the appointment of judges.
The CJ contended that the gesture would ensure that a judge’s behaviour remained consistent with his or her calling and the relationship with his or her community of workers and service recipients.
The New Court Complex
The court complex is located on the defunct Victoriaborg Press, close to the Cocoa Affairs Courts in Accra.
Four years ago, former President J.E.A. Mills cut the sod for the construction of the complex to replace the dilapidated 24th February Cross Road Courts, popularly known as the Cocoa Affairs Courts.
The construction, which is the first since 1940 for the judiciary, was funded by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
The ultra-modern court complex is made up of 10 land courts, 10 commercial courts, six criminal courts, six general jurisdiction courts, three divorce and matrimonial courts, two financial and economic courts, two human rights courts, two labour courts and a Probate and Administration court.
The court complex also has banking facilities, cafeteria, 300-seater auditorium, library, a business centre, media briefing room, executive offices for the Attorney General and police prosecutor as well as a data centre, among others.
There is also a basement which has a holding cell and car parks for the public and judges.
China State Hualong Construction Limited constructed the building.
Source:http://www.dailyguideghana.com/judges-in-chop-bar-jokes/
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