<<Print>>

Former Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Ocquaye, says some of the judges implicated in the judicial bribery scandal have no case in court.

According to the Lawyer and Political Scientist, once the expose’ is in the public interest and some of the injunctions were struck out by the Circuit Court, the judges’ request are dead on arrival.

Some of the indicted judges are suing a number of institutions and individuals for publicizing the video which captured some judges and judicial staff allegedly taking bribes to influence judgement.

One of the judges, Paul Dery, sued Global Cinemas days after he dragged United Television (UTV) and the Accra International Conference Centre to court for contempt.

According to an application for committal for contempt cited by Citi News, the judge insists that although he has several suits pending at both the Fast Track High Court and the Supreme Court, the Managing Director of Global Cinemas, Ernest Boateng on Wednesday advertised in the Daily Graphic, his intent to screen the video.

These numerous suits have raised questions about the ability of the Chief Justice to have the allegations investigated and those found culpable sanctioned.

But Professor Ocquaye says nothing prevents the Chief Justice and the Judicial Council from punishing those found guilty.

“This issue of prima facie, this issue of balancing the public interest, this issue of looking at a case and its entirety from the beginning just to see the surface of it before making an order is very important. The court will look at something before it says something because nobody applies in a vacuum for any other or whatsoever of the court. You have to look at the basic circumstances before you make an order and you must know one thing now that the overriding factor is the public’s interest.”