The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has made a strong appeal for any potential committee hearings on the removal of the Chief Justice to be held in public and broadcast live, arguing that transparency is vital to preserving the integrity of Ghana’s judiciary.
Afenyo-Markin expressed grave concern over what he described as an orchestrated political attempt to unseat the Chief Justice without merit, alleging that judges are being privately promised rewards for their complicity.
“They have their eye also on the judiciary to get rid of the Chief Justice for nothing done,” he said.
He continued “They go personal, promising judges, assuring them; ‘if you support, you would also be favoured.’”
The Minority Leader warned judges to resist these pressures and stand together in defence of judicial independence.
“Today it is Tokornu, tomorrow it maybe you,” he said, referencing Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo. “So, it is their duty to be collective,” he noted.
Questioning the credibility of the petitioners pushing for the Chief Justice’s removal, Afenyo-Markin cast doubt on the legitimacy of the process.
“If you call the petitioners, where are the petitioners? Are they ghosts?” he asked. “If you ask them, can you yourself read your petition?”
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Friday, 2nd May, Afenyo-Markin urged that any proceedings be conducted openly and televised to allow Ghanaians to witness the process first-hand.
“I pray that the day comes where this so-called committee hearing is done in public,” he said.
While acknowledging the constitutional provision for in-camera hearings in such matters, he argued that if the Chief Justice, as the affected individual, opts for a public hearing, it should be granted.
“Though there is that provision in the Constitution that talks about in-camera hearings, if the CJ says, ‘I want to hold this right—make it public,’ it should be public,” he asserted.
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