Lawyer To Drag Judges Before Mills And Rawlings

A member of the legal team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has threatened to drag the Association of Judges and Magistrates before President John Mills and the founder of the party, ex-president John Rawlings. According to David Annan the two leaders of the party must be made aware of the wanton persecution of the NDC as a party by the Judges and magistrates in the country. �When the president comes back, as the leader of the NDC party I will send this matter to him; I am going to ask the president and the founder, Dr JJ Rawlings, and I will send this matter to them for advice and for instructions,� the angry lawyer told Joy News. He was commenting on the decision by the Association to drag him and three others -Larry Bimi, Raymond Atuguba and Abraham Amaliba to the General Legal Council over bribery and corruption allegation they made against the Judiciary. The Association is demanding of the four lawyers to provide evidence of the corruption allegations they so categorically made against the Judiciary at a Panel Discussion to herald the Constitution Week of the National Commission for Civic Education. But the NDC lawyer smells mischief and a grand plot by the Judges to use him and the NDC as a scape goat. He said the NDC had not hidden its displeasure over what it believes is the brazen bias and bad conduct of the judiciary- conducts for which reason the Judiciary must be cleansed, he noted. He said the comments he made during the Panel Discussion were that of the NDC and not his personal comments; therefore the action by the Judges is an attack on NDC and not him as a person. Asked if he or the NDC has any evidence of bias and corruption in the judiciary, Mr Annan said the NDC has no such evidence. Rather what it has are perceptions of bias and corruption. �[I said] allegations of bias. I didn�t say exact bias. I said allegations of, perceptions of [bias] because that is what the NDC party has." He said any attempt by the Legal Council to extract evidence of bias and corruption from him will be met by supporters of the NDC. David Annan made a rallying cry on the NDC members and supporters to follow him on the day he will be quizzed by the General Legal Council. �On the day they ask us to come before the General Legal Council I will come there with members of the party. I am inviting members of the party to come because this is an attack on the NDC,� he said, adding, �don�t think that the NDC will sit down for one of its members to be dragged before disciplinary committee for statements that were made on its behalf. It will not happen.� Mr. Annan is even more incensed with the Judges for not taking equal remedial action against opposition lawyers who he said have made equal or worse comments. He cited lawyer Atta Akyea MP for Abuakwa South who he alleged had called retired Justice Kpegah �senile.� He said as long as Justice UP Dery remained on the Bench, the NDC cannot reasonably expect to have a fair trial because he (Dery) is related to Deputy Minority Leader of Parliament Ambrose Dery, stating Justice Dery must recuse himself whenever cases of a political nature are brought before him. It is not however clear what action President John Mills and ex President John Rawlings will take when the learned lawyer officially petitions them over the conduct of the judges.