I decided to let the sleeping dogs lie – Muntaka apologizes for his corruption complaint against a Supreme Court judge

Asawase Constituency MP (MP) Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka apologized for any damage to the image and reputation of the Lord Justices of the Supreme Court and members of the judiciary.

This follows his claim that a Supreme Court judge attempted to bribe an elected member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to influence her during the election of a speaker of parliament.

“Based on good advice, I have also decided to let the sleeping dogs lie and I will therefore refrain from any further public comment on the matter which, as I have indicated, had been reported to me at originally by a parliamentary colleague ”, is part of a press release. by JoyNews read.

The chief whip of the NDC Caucus in Parliament revealed on January 10, 2021 in an interview on JoyNews that the bribe attempt took place on the eve of the inauguration of the 8th legislature.

According to him, his colleague was led to vote for Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye for the presidency against Alban Bagbin of the NDC.

“Shamefully, a Supreme Court justice called a colleague to tell her what they would give her if she voted for Professor Mike Oquaye. He told her that they would help her take care of her children. She can get fuel at a gas station for free for the next four years.

“So we [NDC] will examine it. We will look at what time he made those calls, ”he told JoyNews’ Emefa Apawu.

The allegation subsequently sparked national debate and many asked the MP to name the Supreme Court judge involved.

For his part, Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah gave assurances that he would verify the facts regarding the alleged bribe by a Supreme Court judge.

A press release signed by Judicial Secretary Judge Cynthia Pamela Addo explained that the Chief Justice will seek help from the person who made the allegation to find finality in the matter.

But the Ghana Bar Association has said such allegations incite hatred towards judges and expose them to ridicule.

The Association, in a letter dated January 12, 2021, described Mr. Muntaka’s allegations as offensive and unpleasant.

He called on the MP for Asawase constituency to justify his allegations of corruption or to retract and apologize to the Supreme Court justices and the judiciary in general.

Responding to this call, Mr. Muntaka admitted in his press release that the failure to specifically appoint a judge “may have had the effect of scandalizing the entire judicial system”.

“This unintended consequence is deeply regretted,” he added.

Once again, the member urged the general public and the media to respect his retraction and apology.

“I fervently pray that the historic cordial relations existing between the legislature and the judiciary will not be affected by this incident, but continue to develop in the interest of the country,” the statement concluded.