The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has responded to allegations of bribery leveled against a Supreme Court Judge by Member of Parliament for Asawase Constituency, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka.
Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, MP, indicated on live TV days ago that he has information about how one of Ghana’s Judges wanted to bribe a member of parliament from his party to vote against current speaker, Rt Hon Alban Babgbin at the time members of the 8th Parliament were preparing to vote for a speaker.
The statement, signed by Anthony Forson Jnr and Yaw Acheampong Boafo, National President and National Secretary respectively, described the MP’s allegations as “offensive and distasteful”. The statement further added that such public allegations “…incite hatred among the public with regard to the Judges, expose them to ridicule and put them into disrepute.”
“Such allegations with respect to the Judiciary undermine the integrity of and erode public confidence in the Justice delivery process, and may result in lawlessness” the statement continued.
The Ghana Bar Association therefore calls on Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, MP for Asawase Constituency who made the allegation “to substantiate the allegation or retract same and apologize to the Justices of the Supreme Court in particular, and the Judiciary in general.”
While stating that the 1992 Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, the GBA urges that “the freedom should be exercised with circumspection and should not be used to incite hatred or to subject the judiciary to ridicule and contempt.”