Samuel Ahiabor, a former Adidome District Magistrate and one of the 20 Lower court judges sacked in the wake of the investigative reporter Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ video tape on corruption in the judiciary has headed to court over his removal from office.
Samuel Ahiabor believes the decision to remove him from office by the Judicial Committee set up by the Chief Justice Mrs. Georgina Theodora Wood was a breach of his rights.
The former magistrate says he never collected, received or accepted any money although the evidence presented by Anas shows him taking the money.
Ahiabor who has been accused of taking GH¢600 from a petitioner at Adidome District Magistrate Court in the audiovisual was sanctioned with 19 other judges following a probe by a committee and received a letter on his alleged misconduct of receiving a bribe.
According to the document, the said money was to influence him to cause the arrest of a man who allegedly defrauded the said petitioner.
Mr Ahiabor adds that, aside Anas Aremeyaw Anas, he never had the opportunity to cross examine the petitioner who purportedly bribed him, at any of the disciplinary committee sittings.
The former magistrate also maintained that since the matter of bribery allegation did not concern a case pending before him, he could not be said to have misconducted himself.
He is therefore praying the high court to quash the committee’s verdict and said, ‘’the decision is contrary to law, rules of natural justice and the 1992 constitution.’’
The judges, who were part of the 32 implicated in the exposé done by ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, were dismissed for violating provisions of the 1992 Constitution, according to the Committee set up to investigate Anas’s claims.
While some of the judges were sacked with benefits others got dismissed without their benefits.
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