Justice Paul Utter Dery, one of the High Court Judges caught on video allegedly taking bribe from litigants has dragged the president of the Ghana Journalist Association, Anas Aremeyaw Anas and other executives of the Association to court for awarding the Journalist of the Year Award to the ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
The Plaintiff argued that the 21st Awards Ceremony of the GJA which crowned Anas as the best journalist for his exposé on judicial corruption in the country and which was publicly showed by Anas and his Tiger Eye PI team at the Accra International Conference Centre was unconstitutional.
He contended that the case was pending at the Supreme Court and that the action by the GJA to award Anas the Best Journalist of the Year 2016 amounted to interference with the court.
It is the case of the plaintiff that Anas Aremeyaw Anas falsely alleged in a petition by his so called company, (Tiger Eye PI) sent to the President for removal from office, the Plaintiff on grounds that he (the defendant) demanded for and received various sums of money and or other gifts to influence him in the discharge of his duties as Justice of the High Court.
He said Anas Aremeyaw Anas in conjuction with Tiger Eye PI, published the defamatory matter in the media including screening same at the Accra International Conference Centre. The GJA however reaffirmed that the allegations were meritorious enough to earn him the coveted prize as the “Overall Best Journalist of the Year”.
The plaintiff is seeking a declaration that the conduct of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) on August 27, 2016 by which the GJA, at its 21st Awards ceremony, gave the “Overall Best Journalist of the Year, 2016 Award” to Anas Aremeyaw Anas for his exposé on the so-called judicial bribery and corruption is inconsistent with or in contravention of Article 3 (3) (a) and 3 (4) (a) of the 1992 Constitution.
He is further seeking a declaration that the conduct of the GJA was inconsistent with Article 162 (5) of the 1992 Constitution and thus unconstitutional.
He is further praying the court to nullify the award by the GJA to Anas pursuant to Article 1 (2) of the 1992 Constitution.
He is seeking an order punishing the Executive Committee Members of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) for contempt of court.
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