Council of State presents findings on GHC5m bribery allegations against Chief Justice to President

The Chair of the Council of State, Nana Otuo Siribuor has presented the findings of the Council on the bribery allegation and the petition filed by the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability, ASEPA to impeach the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, to the President at the Jubilee House on Friday August 20.

Nana Otuo Sibiri told the President that “Today we are here specifically Mr President to give you our response to a letter that we received from the Presidency under your hand, Mr President dated 26th of July 2021.

“In the said letter you referred to a petition that had been sent to you by ASEPA which petition demanded the impeachment of the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana following allegation that had been made against him.

“In line with the demands of the constitution as enshrined under Article 144(2), 122 (3), and in line with the decisions of the Supreme Court , Mr President we are obliged to determine whether a prima facie case had been made which determination would therefore precede the process of impeachment .

“Mr President the Council of State had made its findings and we are here to present to you the findings of the Council of state as to whether prima facie case had been made to warrant the start if impeachment process for the removal of the Chief Justice.”

The ASEPA had petitioned the president to invoke provisions of Article 146 to commence impeachment proceedings against the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah.

The bribery allegations were contained in a response of a lawyer, Akwasi Afrifa, in response to a petition filed against him by his client at the disciplinary committee of the General Legal Council (GLC) that he may have been bribed to influence the outcome of a court case.

Although the Chief Justice has denied the accusation and asked the Police to probe the matter, ASEPA contends that the allegations have brought the name of the Judiciary into disrepute and cast a serious slur on justice administration in the country, hence the presidential petition.