The Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, has petitioned the director general of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to investigate bribery allegations levelled against him.
A private legal practitioner, Kwasi Afrifa, in a letter he wrote in response to a complaint filed against him (the lawyer) by Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI, the chief of the Efutu and Gomoa Adjumako Traditional Area, made startling allegations against Chief Justice Anin-Yeboah.
The letter, dated 12 July 2021 and signed by the Judicial Secretary, Justice Cynthia Pamela Addo, notes: “The attention of His Lordship the Chief Justice has been drawn to copies of letters from a Lawyer (Akwasi Afrifa, Esq) and his client, the plaintiff in the matter of OGYEEDOM OBRANU KWESI ATTA IV v GHANA TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY & LANDS COMMISSION, to the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council, and which letters are making rounds on social media. His Lordship is saddened that without any shred of evidence, his name has been dragged into this sordid and potentially criminal matter.”
The Judicial Secretary’s letter notes further: “His Lordship confirms that he does not know the plaintiff and has not met or seen him anywhere, except in the courtroom when he rises to announce his name when his case is called. His Lordship asserts that he has had no personal interaction either with the plaintiff or his lawyer on this matter or in any other matter. His Lordship further asserts that he has not demanded or received any money from any person to influence any decision in this matter or any other matter.”
First claim of prejudice
Stressing the extent to which the Chief Justice has had any dealing with the parties involved in the case around which the accusations against him are premised, the letter states: “Indeed, the records show that the plaintiff unsuccessfully petitioned for the recusal of His Lordship the Chief Justice and His Lordship Justice Victor Jones Mawulom Dotse from the matter, on a claim that they were prejudiced against him.
“The records further show that the Chief Justice was the only Judge on a panel who recently on 31st March 2021 dissented in an application at the instance of the plaintiff Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta IV [sic] in favour of the respondent, Ghana Telecommunications Co Ltd.”
To this end, the Judicial Secretary states in her letter: “To ensure that this matter is fully investigated, His Lordship has directed that a formal complaint be made to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service for investigations and any necessary action. He has further directed that a Petition be lodged with the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council in respect of this specific matter.
“His Lordship is available to assist with all investigations into this matter, while he considers his own civil legal options to ensure that this matter is dealt with to its logical conclusions,” the letter adds.
Ogyeedom’s denial
In a related development, Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI has discredited the allegations made against the Chief Justice by Afrifa.
In a rejoinder, the chief of Effutu and Gomoa Adjumako states: “My attention has been drawn to a media publication allegation against my good self and some prominent third parties, including the Chief Justice.
“I unequivocally deny all allegations of intended bribery or actual bribery of any judge including the Chief Justice, who I have never met or known personally apart from seeing him a distance from the bench,” the chief says.
He adds: “I re-emphasise that I have never met the Chief Justice before nor dealt with him directly or indirectly in official or private capacity, neither do l know where he lives nor have his phone number to have communicated with him.
“I have since applied for a copy of the said response to my petition against Mr Afrifa in which those fabrications and allegations are said to be contained and will appropriately react to the General Legal Council upon receipt of same,” the rejoinder further says.
Background
Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI dragged his former lawyer to the General Legal Council through a petition dated 1 March 2021. The petition demanded that Lawyer Afrifa be sanctioned over his handling of a case involving the petitioner and Ghana Telecommunications Company Ltd.
Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta, in his petition, claimed that the lawyer Kwasi Afrifa who was handling his case had asked the chief to pay him US$100,000, which he was going to use for the purposes of payments for “legal gymnastics”, after the chief had paid the lawyer GHC300,000 by way of engagement fees.
Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI said he eventually realised that the lawyer could not have used the money for the said “legal gymnastics”. He therefore sacked him from handling the case and asked that Afrifa pay back the money.
The lawyer is said to have paid $25,000 but refused to give the remaining $75,000. As such, after several attempts to retrieve his money, Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta wrote to the General Legal Council to retrieve his money.
Wilberforce Asare
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