A former chief justice, Sophia Akuffo, has berated National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Asawase, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, for alleging without evidence that a supreme court judge attempted to bribe a lawmaker to influence her vote during election of a Speaker of Parliament.
Muntaka is yet to substantiate his claim although the chief justice, Kwasi Anin Yeboah, has served notice he will pursue the matter.
Touching on the claims, Akuffo said she is upset because the allegation taints the image of the judiciary.
“I am upset at the very thought that, that kind of accusation will be made. I don’t like accusations like that. It is like throwing a bucket of dirty water at people and you were aiming at somebody but you just threw it and it dirties everybody.
“There are 17 people you have defamed in that causal manner but you are talking about only one person so there are 16 people who have been wrongly done by,” the former chief justice told Accra-based Joy FM.
Investigation
Meanwhile, the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, has said the Judiciary is looking into bribery allegation levelled against a Supreme Court judge in the lead-up to the election of a Speaker of Parliament.
A statement signed by the Judicial Secretary, Justice Cynthia Pamela Addo, said the Judiciary has initiated moves to solicit the assistance of Muntaka to help bring finality to the matter.
“The Judiciary has noted with grave concern the remarks of Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka which have been widely published in the media alleging that a Justice of the Supreme Court attempted to bribe an NDC female Member of Parliament to vote for Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye in the election of a speaker for the 8th Parliament which took place on 7th January 2021,” the statement said.
“The Hon Chief Justice is therefore taking steps to solicit the assistance of Mohammed -Mubarak Muntaka, MP to establish the facts in order that the matter can be dealt with appropriately,” it added.
It said the Judiciary takes the allegation of impropriety as a matter of grave import to the integrity of the Service.
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