Judicial scandal: Supreme Court dismisses suit against Chief Justice

The Supreme Court has dismissed a case in which two judges implicated in the judicial corruption exposé sued the chief justice and six others over their salary.

Justice Paul Uuter Dery and Ayisi Addo joined forces to fight the Chief Justice, the Controller and Accountant General and five other government institutions in court for slashing their salaries by half.

The Judicial Council slashed their salaries and that of 10 other High Court judges following a judicial scandal in September 2015.

They were captured on video allegedly receiving bribes from undercover journalists posing as family and friends of suspects and litigants.

The conduct of the judges has become the subject of an inquiry by the Judicial Council with impeachment lurking around the corner. But they are not going down without a fight .

Chief Justice Georgina Wood
They lament that letters dated 8th and 11th January from the Judicial Council to them announced that they will with immediate effect receive only half of their salaries.

In their writ filed at the Supreme Court, they argued that the letters which also suspended the payment of their allowances except rent “is inconsistent with and in contravention of Article 127(5) of the 1992 Constitution and therefore unconstitutional, null and void.”

Justice Dery and Ayisi Addo then sought an order nullifying such decisions taken by the Judicial Council and also prayed the Supreme Court to place a perpetual injunction restraining the Judicial Council, its assigns, privies, servants, agents among others from implementing the two decisions.

But in court proceedings Thursday, the apex court dismissed the suit and announced it will give its reasons in one week.

The defendants in the matter include the Judicial Council, the Chief Justice, Judicial Secretary, Director of Finance, the Paymaster, the Controller and Accountant-General and the Attorney General.