NDC Communicator: Rawlings Simply Created Humor With The Judiciary House-Cleaning Remark

A member of the communication machinery of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), has sought to downplay former President Rawlings� recent remarks about helping to clean the Judiciary over acts of perceived corruption saying the comments should be taken light-heartedly. In an address during the conferment of an honorary degree on him by the University of Development Studies for the role he played in the establishment of the institution, former President Rawlings stated that the judicial system being an institution must be purged to assure Ghanaians continue to repose their trust in it. �The journey for an independent, incorruptible Judiciary has only just begun. We know and hear of massive corruption also in the Judiciary, in lower courts and in commercial courts. Millions of dollars are lost each year due to dubious judgment debts. Cases are settled many times with influence of bribes; sometimes national security is compromised by corrupt court rulings, sometimes crooks can even cause illegal detention of foreign sovereign assets because some judge gave restraining orders. I entreat the Chief Justice and the entire Judiciary to reflect soberly on these developments, and vindicate the Judiciary. Build on your newly-established credibility and independence by engaging in a thorough "House-cleaning" exercise to purge the Judiciary of real and perceived corruption! (I can help you with this exercise; I'm very qualified and experienced in "house-cleaning"),� Mr Rawlings reportedly said. The statement, to some, alludes to something negative and reprehensible. But Bernard Anim Piesie opines the former President was simply jesting similar to his infamous �Atta Mortuary man� tale at an NDC function a couple of years ago. Supporting the stance of the former President Rawlings on corruption in the Judiciary, he averred on Okay fm that the Judiciary cannot be said to be full of saints as some might want Ghanaians to believe. �Rawlings simply created humor with the judicial clean-up exercise because we all know that he has no experience in house-cleaning but just that at that moment he wanted people to laugh as he has been seen on so many platforms�but if the poor citizens of this country are to trust that the Justice system is for them, and then this Justice must not be for sale to the highest bidder by way of bribes and corrupt practices,� he added.