MRS GEORGINA WOOD’S NOMINATION AND CORRUPTION IN THE JUDICIARY

If the opportunity is given this newspaper to ask Mrs. Georgina Wood just one question, now that she is about to become the Chief Justice of Ghana, it would be whether she would accept the “Georgina Wood Committee” Report she presented to Government if that report is presented to her today as the Chief Justice?

The government of Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor's New Patriotic Party (NPP), last Friday announced the nomination of Mrs. Georgina Wood for the now vacant position of Chief Justice of Ghana following the death of Chief Justice Acquah.

One thing that is common among all the Chief Justices appointed by the Kufuor administration since it assumed office is the “fight against corruption” but unfortunately, none of them could fight the canker and died leaving it behind.

The late Chief Justice Acquah, was very vocal and persistent in his fight against corrupt practices in the Judiciary and even went ahead to indict some of his colleagues but did very little to eradicate it as he himself was roped in.

The efforts by Chief Justice Acquah to stop corruption in the Judiciary, is like trying to kill a cat and not succeeding, the cat then becomes wild and would destroy anything in its path.

Chief Justice Acquah has left behind a wild cat in the form of the corruption in the Judiciary, now that the attempt to stop it has failed, it has become like a full blown AIDS or BUSH FIRE and spreading everywhere, rendering litigants very frustrated.

This is what Mrs. Georgina Wood would be up against if she is to succeed as the next Chief Justice, and it is in this light that Ghanaians would be watching closely her tenure as Chief Justice and how the Judiciary would be performing.

Mrs. Georgina Wood also has a very tall task ahead of her if she is to earn the trust and respect of Ghanaians taking into account her involvement in some events preceding her appointment.

One of the events that is prominent in the minds of Ghanaians is her role as Chairman of the Committee set up by the government to look into the missing 77 parcels of cocaine from the MV Benjamin and events leading to the seizure of some 34 parcels of cocaine at East Legon and the report she presented to government.

She would have a very difficult time trying to explain her role, because Ghanaians do not believe or trust the report she presented to government.

Some Ghanaians, also don't trust her because she was a former Police woman and they think the government intentionally put together a group of Police personnel to investigate the cocaine cases so as she can exonerate the Police.

With this background, how would Mrs. Georgina Wood's tenure as head of the Judiciary be perceived?

Grace Asibi, the girlfriend of David Vasquez, the fugitive Venezuelan drug baron, has debunked the Georgina Wood report and described it as bogus, because as a principal witness in the investigations of the committee, not even a single sentence of her testimony was referred to in the official report to government.

A section of Ghanaians believe Mrs Georgina Wood was manipulated by the government to produce the kind of report she presented because even though the Committee was to investigate the whereabout of the 77 parcels of cocaine, at the end of it all, Mrs. Georgina Wood's committee could not tell Ghanaians where the cocaine was or who has them.

With the tasteless precedence already set by our Parliamentarians, we on “The Ghana Palaver" have no doubt that nothing can stop Mrs. Georgina Wood from taking over from where Chief Justice Acquah left off because we are fully aware of the underground work already accomplished by the government before submitting her nomination for vetting.

“The Ghana Palaver”, like many Ghanaians, is worried about the Judiciary and the frustration litigants have to go through before their cases are done with and are hoping, the tenure of Mrs. Georgina Wood, would end their frustrations and bring them hope.

“The Ghana Palaver” would also like to congratulate Mrs. Georgina Wood in advance and wish her all the best in her new position as the Chief Justice.

"The Ghana Palaver is watching!