'Corrupt' judge masterminded kidnap of Anas' Tiger Eye team member- Police

It is emerging that one of the judges implicated in the Anas Aremeyaw Anas judicial bribery scandal is responsible for the kidnap of a member of the Tiger Eye team.

The judge, whose name will not be disclosed, at least for now, is believed to have hired assailants to kidnap Ishmael Hussein Saturday morning.

The assailants were successful in seizing Hussein at his family House in Tamale but a swift intervention by the Tamale police led to his liberation .

Tamale Police Public Relations Officer ASP Ebenezer Tetteh confirmed the kidnap as well as the successful rescue mission.

He said Hussein was picked up in his family house by the assailants in Tamale, taken to two destinations before he was rescued in a shop belonging to a family member of the one of the judges implicated in the Anas judges' scandal.

He said one of the assailants is in police custody but a few others have escaped.

The arrested person is being held for "kidnapping, assault by imprisonment and other charges that may emanate after investigations."

ASP Tetteh will neither reveal the identity of the assailant nor the judge who sent him to kidnap the investigator, except to say that "this person was connected to the crime we are investigating now. He was the one who first kidnapped and called one other person whose name i will also not mention.

"They kidnapped him for leading the team to take shots of one of the persons who was implicated. They were not happy that he did that.

"Whilst he was in their custody unlawfully they issued threatening messages and told him several things which i will also not reveal.

He said they are still investigating the matter, adding several persons are connected to it.

Myjoyonline.com can confirm that the judge in question is not part of those being investigated by the committee constituted by the Chief Justice.

Anas Aremeyaw Anas had petitioned the Inspector General of Police to arrest two judges since they were on retirement and could not be investigated by the CJ's investigative committee.

There are 34 judges involved in the bribery scandal. 22 of them are lower court judges whilst 12 of them are High Court judges. There were over 100 court clerks, state attorneys and police personnel all involved in the scandal.

Out of the 12 High Court judges seven of them have been suspended by the president, acting on the advice of the Judicial Council. This was after a prima facie case was established against them.

Meanwhile, ace investigator Anas Aremeyaw Anas who is currently attending a seminar in Norway is worried about the reported kidnap of his team member.

As a result all Tiger Eye team members outside Accra have been moved to the capital as a way of safeguarding their security.