BRING IT ON! � NDC's David Annan Dares Judges And Magistrates

Accra-based Lawyer and member of the Legal Team of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. David Annan, has called the bluff of the National Executives and Regional Representatives of the Association of Magistrates & Judges of Ghana (AMJG).... ....as the association has filed a complaint before the General Legal Council (GLC) requesting the latter to take steps to investigate some three lawyers over allegations of corruption against the Judiciary. As indicated in our lead story today, The New Crusading GUIDE�s highly placed sources within the country�s judicial circles dropped hints that, at a meeting of the AMJG held on May 13 2011, a decision was taken to request the GLC to investigate Mr. Larry Bimi, a lawyer and Chairman of the National Commission on Civic Education(NCCE), Mr. Abraham Amaliba, a private legal practitioner as well as NDC�s Lawyer Annan for making unsubstantiated allegations against the bench. When this paper contacted Mr. Annan, an avowed critic of the judiciary on the matter yesterday, he expressed shock at the move, saying it had no basis. He insisted �the judiciary is aware of these cases and when you go the Fast Track High Court you will see a huge sign board on corruption mounted there, they know about it�. Mr. Annan stated that pursuing the matter will not be in the in the interest of the judiciary, adding that � I have not been notified on this whole thing and I will contest it strongly when it comes up, I don�t want to comment on the matter because I have not been informed but I challenge them to go ahead�. It will be recalled that that Mr. Annan on various platforms reiterated calls by his party�s Chairman, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, that the ruling party will clean the Judiciary of all politically biased judges and corrupt practices if the Chief Justice failed to do so. Reacting to the Fast Track High Court ruling which acquitted and discharged the 15 Abudus charged with conspiracy to murder the late overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II., David Annan explained that the judgement by Justice E. K. Ayebi reinforced the NDC�s belief that the justice system in the country was not the best. According to him, the integrity of judges was at stake and that �until and unless this is closely examined by the Executive and by the Judiciary themselves, there is always going to be complaints and allegations of dissatisfaction, allegations of bias and allegations of corruption against the Chief Justice�. He claimed on an Accra-based radio station, Asempa FM that the trial judge, Justice E.K. Ayebi deliberately truncated the trial by using the WUAKU Commission�s report regardless of a ruling by Justice Marfo that �we should not use reports of Commissions of Inquiries in matters before court in the Ghana @5O trial�. Mr. Annan had also questioned the choice of judges selected to adjudicate cases involving former government appointees accused of causing financial loss to the state. David Annan expressed the belief that too many cases had been referred to the same commercial court and to the same judge when other courts and judges were available. He told this paper that he would not change his stance, in spite of the said investigations to be conducted by the General Legal Council (GLC) upon a complaint filed by the AMJG. Meanwhile all efforts to reach Mr. Larry Bimi and Abraham Amaliba for their reactions proved futile as at press time yesterday.