Justice Henry Kwofie, president of the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG) and a Justice of the Court of Appeal, has made a passionate appeal to social media users to stop using their handles, pages and platforms to attack judges in the country.
Addressing the Judicial Press Corps on Wednesday (24 November 2021), Justice Kwofie, said recent claims that Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, a Justice of the Supreme Court, has been given two vehicles to influence his decision in the ongoing trial of former COCOBOD CEO, Dr Stephen Opuni and two others, are deliberate, unfounded and same must end.
“The Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG) has noted with concern the false and malicious allegations levelled on various social media platforms against Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, a Justice of the Supreme Court”.
“The accusations are to the effect that Justice Honyenuga has been given 2 brand new vehicles, one SUV V8 and a Saloon Car by the President of the Republic through the Chief Justice with the sole purpose of getting Justice Honyenuga to jail 2 persons namely Dr Opuni and Seidu Agongo, who are accused persons in a case being tried by Justice Honyenuga as an additional High Court Judge,” he said.
“The AMJG finds this allegation against Justice Clemence Honyenuga and indeed the Judiciary as a whole as an attempt to create disaffection against the said judge and by extension the Judiciary in Ghana as a whole” he added.
Vehicular entitlements of judges
In explaining further, the AMJG president indicated that all “Supreme Court Judges by their conditions of appointment since 2013 are entitled to two official vehicles; one SUV and a saloon car”.
“All Court of Appeal Judges on the other hand are entitled to One Toyota Land Cruiser Prado vehicle
whilst High Court Judges are entitled to One Toyota Fortuner vehicle as Official vehicles”.
Recent vehicle orders, distribution
According to Justice Kwofie, the Judicial Service in 2021 ordered 7 Toyota Land Cruiser SUV Vehicles and eleven (11) Toyota Camry Saloon cars for Supreme Court judges who do not have official vehicles.
“These Supreme Court Judges who are seven (7) in number were appointed in December 2019 and May 2020 respectively. Among these Supreme Court judges is Justice Clemence Honyenuga” Justice Kwofie said.
“Among these 7 judges who were allocated the vehicles was Justice Honyenuga who was appointed to the Supreme Court by His Excellency the President on 22d May 2020. It is these vehicles allocated to Justice Honyenuga as Duty Post vehicles which is the source of the accusation that he has been given one SUV and a Saloon Car for the purpose of influencing him to jail accused persons standing trial before him” he added.
“The Association wishes to state that the allocation ot Official/Duty Post vehicles to Justice Honyenuga or any Judge for that matter has nothing to do with any case or cases pending before him or her” the AMJG President further stated.
Present at the press briefing were Justice of the High Court, Justice Olivia Obeng Owusu, Vice President of the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana and Circuit Court Judge, Afia Owusuwaa Appiah, Treasurer of the AMJG.
Wilberforce Asare
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