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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has described as “unwarranted and unmeritorious”, the petition brought before him by the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) seeking the removal of the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, from office.

Calls for the removal of the Chief Justice (CJ) followed an allegation by a private legal practitioner, Kwasi Afrifa that he had demanded a $5million bribe to deliver a favorable judgment in a case involving his client; an allegation the CJ has denied.

Council of State

Last Friday, members of the Council of State presented their findings on the petition to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The report was sealed and its contents were not made public. It is believed to have contained findings of whether a prima facie case has been established against the Chief Justice or not.

ASEPA

The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) had petitioned the President for the removal of the Chief Justice for allegedly collecting a bribe of $5 million.

The Chief Justice, Justice Anin Yeboah, has since denied the allegation and called on the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to investigate the matter.

"Unmeritorious"

But President Akufo-Addo, after studying the report, established that no prima facie case has been established, thus curtailing the process.

In a statement, the President threw out the petition saying it is "devoid of any basis warranting the setting up of a committee under Article 146 (6) to undertake the very serious business of removing a Chief Justice from office.”

“…the Supreme Court in interpreting article 146 (6) had in mind unmeritorious and unwarranted petitions such as the instant one. The petition is dismissed accordingly,” the statement dated August 20, 2021, added.

"Embarrassing"

Meanwhile, The Executive Secretary of ASEPA speaking in an interview on Joy News, fired back describing the President's statement as "embarrassing".

Read the President's full response below: