ASEPA Eyes Court to Force Jubilee House to Cough up Info on CJ’s US$ 5 million Bribery

The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), the policy think-tank that had petitioned the Jubilee House to investigate the US$ 5 million bribery allegation against Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, is heading for the court because it says the Presidency is stonewalling it on information about its petition.

In an interview on Citi News monitored by Whatsup News, the Executive Director of ASEPA, Mensah Thompson, said their request for more information from the Jubilee House about progress on the petition is primarily in the interest of Ghanaians.

“As petitioners, we are entitled to every little information because we are a party to this petition. I am surprised that this is coming from a lawyer, someone who is supposed to know better,” Thompson said.

“We are going to respond to this letter appropriately. We are in discussions with our lawyers, and if there be a need to seek legal redress, we will. Especially the false interpretation of Article 146 (6) of the constitution. In respect of the Chief Justice, there is no mention of a prima facie case. A Supreme Court interpretation cannot override a constitutional provision.”

A few days ago, the secretary to President Akufo-Addo Nana Bediatuo Asante had written a letter stating that the request by for the Chief Justice to be suspended by the President was premature and also that the Jubilee House was not ready to provide ASEPA any more information about the petition they [ASEPA] submitted.

According to Asante Bediatuo, President Akufo Addo is yet to constitute a committee to inquire into a petition seeking the removal of the CJ.

ASEPA had petitioned the Jubilee House to investigate the reported US$5 million bribery allegations levelled against the Chief Justice, the Jubilee House wrote almost two weeks ago that the President had commenced processes to investigate the allegation.

Suspecting that the Jubilee House for the umpteenth time may be attempting to shield the Chief Justice from scrutiny, ASEPA wrote to the Presidency, asking for specifics of what stage the process so-called process reached.

However, the Jubilee House shot down that request, saying that such proceedings are held in camera and thus ASEPA has not privileged of knowing details concerning its petition.

“We are not aware of any law, rule or practice that requires a petitioner to be furnished with what you describe as vital information…In our view, having submitted the petition, nothing more is required of you in the matter to warrant any reports being made to you,” Asante Bediatuo wrote.

The Chief Justice CJ was recently put under the spotlight by Akwasi Afrifah, a lawyer who said his client who apparently has a sort of relationship with the CJ had told him that the CJ had demanded US$ 5 million from him to help him undertake “ways and means…legal gymnastics” to manipulate the courts in favour of the said client. The CJ has been denying the allegation.