Chief Justice Anin Yeboah Fingered In US$5 million Bribery Allegation

-As Akufo Addo’s Lawyer Ampaw and Ace Ankomah Features in “Legal Gymnastics”

Kwasi Afrifa, a lawyer from the O&A Legal Consult who has been accused of professional misconduct has become a whistleblower alleging that Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah had demanded a US$5 million bribe from one Chief Oyeedom Obrani Kwesi Atta VI to undertake some “legal gymnastics” in the Supreme Court.

On March 1, 2021, chief Kwesi Atta VI petitioned the General Legal Council (GLC), accusing Afrifa of squandering some US$100,000 he paid him to undertake “ways and means gymnastics” at the Supreme Court to obtain a favourable judgment in his suit number J8/96/2020 which was filed against the Ghana Telecom Company Limited for some monies he [Chief Kwesi Atta VI] was claiming.

His petition was received by one Patience s. Gyan at the GLC on March 25, 2021.

However, ahead of his appearance before the GLC to answer to the allegations against him, lawyer Afrifa has written a startling response that is bound to shake the very core of the already bastardised image of the Ghanaians Judiciary.

According to Afrifa, Chief Kwesi Atta IV’s accusations were designed to hide a more serious issue involving how he was kicked off the case and replaced with Lawyer Akoto Ampaw, President Akufo Addo’s led lawyer in the 2021 presidential election petition.

In his counter-petition to the Secretary to the GLC, Mr. Afrifa wrote that he had been engaged as a lawyer for Chief Kwesi Atta VI in the Ghana Telecom litigation and had subsequently done several “work” for the chief, including work at the National House of Chiefs.

According to Afrifa, in July 2020 Kwesi Atta VI told him that some of his well-connected friends had taken him [Chief Kwesi Atta VI] to see the Chief Justice Anin Yeboah, who had agreed to undertake legal gymnastics for the chief to win his case against Ghana Telecom.

“He further informed me that the Chief Justice had demanded a bribe of USD 5,000,000.00for a successful outcome to his case and that he had already paid USD500,000.00 to the Chief Justice. He further informed me that he was hard-pressed to raise the remainder of the USD5,000,000.00 and so I should refund some of the GHC 300,000.00 paid to me as fees because he had in line with the advice of the Chief Justice, engaged Akoto Ampaw Esq as Solicitor to continue the case before the Supreme Court,” Afrifa said in a damning revelation.

He continued: “Indeed, he told me that his own investigations which he caused the BNI to conduct shows that the Chief Justice was in the process of acquiring several properties at a posh residential area in Kumasi and therefore needed the money urgently. I told him I was simply not interested in his dealings with politicians and persons wielding power.”

Apparently, Oyeedom Obrani Kwesi Atta VI is well connected to the Jubilee House as well, according to Mr. Afrifa and that if the “experienced litigant” and well-connected Kwesi Atta VI needed “legal gymnastics” to win his case, he was the least to be able to help him.

Whatsup News has been unable to substantiate these serious allegations, however, what is apparent from the ensuing drama is that these two damning petitions are currently sitting on the desks of the GLC.

Also, Whatsup News has intercepted a ruling on the substantive case that appears to confirm that lawyer Kwasi Afrifa was indeed replaced with Lawyer Akoto Ampaw during the course of the suit between Kwesi Atta VI and Ghana Telecom.

In an April 28, 2020 ruling on the case in the Supreme Court with a panel of seven judges, Kwasi Afrifa played a supporting role to Joseph Sam, the lead lawyer of the Chief. On the side of Ghana Telecom, the lead lawyers were Ace Ankomah, Shirley Out and Gloria Coffie.

The Supreme Court judges that issued the ruling on the case were the Chief Justice himself, who chaired the panel; Justice Jones Dotse, Justice Gbadegbe, Justice Yaw Appau, Justice Pwamang, Justice Marful-Sau and Justice Kotey.

It is unclear if any of these Supreme Court powerhouses were influenced in the contentious case.

However, in what appears to tie in lawyer Afrifa’s accusation of the Chief Justice’s demand for US$5 million bribe to use lawyer Akoto Ampaw to undertake the said “gymnastics”, another ruling with a certified copy intercepted by Whatsup News indicates that as at April 2021, the lawyers for Chief Kwesi Atta VI had indeed changed with Akoto Ampaw standing in for the chief, while Ace Ankomah represents Ghana Telecom.

Ace Ankomah’s featuring in the case is already raising suspicions in legal circles because Ace Ankomah is known to be extremely close to the Chief Justice and he is alleged to be practically stationed in the office of the Chief Justice where he is also reported to be responsible for some of the writings of the Chief Justice.

This is not the first time bribery allegations of such magnitude have hit the judiciary and threatened to derail the pious image that the third arm of government is supposed to have.

 A couple of years ago, undercover investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas exposed several high-profile judges for collecting bribes to manipulate cases. Some of the bribes include cash and goats.

Also, this is not the first time either that Ace Ankomah has been linked to convoluted litigation that has been marred by alleged insider manipulations and bribery. He was named as a principal player in the infamous Menzgold saga.

In this instance, it is currently unclear what role Ace Ankomah may have played behind the scenes.