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Lawyer for six of the 22 accused circuit court judges and magistrates John Ndebugre has pooh-poohed the protection accorded investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, saying he does not deserve it as per the Whistleblower Act of 2006. According to the former law maker, Section 8 of the Act does not apply to Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

“I am saying on authority that the Whistleblower Act, Section 8 does not apply to Anas.” Lawyer Nde, as he is popularly known, made these remarks on Saturday, September 19 on TV3’s current affairs programme Hot Issues. He insists again that the special forces deployed to guard Anas are doing so in futility since “he is not a state official”. The former People’s National Convention (PNC) Member of Parliament (MP) was addressing concerns raised over Anas' investigative work, which implicates 22 lower court judges and 12 judges of the superior court. Lawyer Nde is lead counsel for six of the 22 circuit court judges and magistrates. The six have questioned a five-member committee set up by the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, in consultation with the Judicial Council to investigate the allegations.

They have also requested a cross-examination session with the Chief Executive Officer of tigereyepi, producers of the video. The former Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) activist says Anas physiognomy will not be entertained during cross-examination since they would want to undertake the exercise face-to-face. “You can’t come to court hooded,” he emphasized, citing that witnesses who mount the box in court are often made to remove sunglasses. The cross-examination is set for September 25 after the lower court judges craved the indulgence of the Council to suspend sitting. Meanwhile, sitting on the cases of the high court judges is set to begin on Tuesday, September 22. Eight out of the 12 are yet to submit their responses and, so, have been given up to Tuesday to do so.