Judges' scandal: Police suspend investigations - Effah Dartey

Police have suspended investigations into the role of one of the High Court Justices embroiled in the judiciary bribery scandal, Gilbert Ayisi Addo.

Captain (Rtd) Nkrabea Effah Dartey, Lawyer for Justice Gilbert Ayisi Addo says the Police suspended their probe after he drew their attention to ongoing investigative processes by a committee set up by the Chief Justice.

The police have already interrogated some of the justices.

The police announced Thursday they had commenced criminal investigations into the judicial bribery scandal, but there is a fight back by some of the accused judges.

Two accused judges were interrogated by the Police Criminal Investigations Department in a criminal probe that will see all 34 accused judges hauled before police investigators.

But speaking on Newsfile, Lawyer Effah Dartey who has been objecting to the criminal probe commenced by the police said:

“The Police that we met yesterday told us that because of the content of our letter, they have suspended sittings with our clients until they hear from the Attorney General who directed them to do that”.

The counsel for Justice Gilbert Ayisi Addo explained that the two processes cannot go on side by side.

He also said that when it comes to the constitutional provision regarding the stated misbehavior of a superior court judge, the idea is that because of the independence of the judiciary, the constitution says clearly “that a judge is indemnified, that is, no action can commence against him in the performance of his duties”. This is calculated to protect the judiciary.

However, Member of Parliament for Obuasi West Kweku Kwarteng disagrees.

He finds it hard to understand why criminal processes cannot be brought against a judge for wrongdoing if his action is not in the exercise of judicial power.