[2019]DLCA6324 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">JUSTICE FRED K. AWAUAH</span></b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">HON. CHIEF JUSTICE AND 2 OTHERS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">(</span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">RESPONDENTS</span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">)</span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">]</span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in; mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CIVIL APPEAL NO.H1/247/2018</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> DATE: </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">7<sup>TH</sup> FEBRUARY, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MR. KWAME ADUABENG YANKYERA FOR THE APPELLANT<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MRS. ELFREDA DANKYI (PSA) FOR THE RESPONDENTS<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"">CORAM: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">F.G. KORBIEH, J.A. (PRESIDING), CECILIA H. SOWAH (MS.), J.A. AND AMA A. GAISIE (MRS.), J.A.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;mso-outline-level:1"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; mso-outline-level:1;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">JUDGMENT</span></b><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><b><u><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">F.G. KORBIEH, J.A.<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">All parties in this appeal belong to the justice delivery system in this country in one way or the other. The plaintiff/appellant (hereinafter referred to as the appellant) was at all material times a judge of the High Court stationed at Koforidua when the incidence(s) or occurrence(s) leading to his impeachment process and the subsequent court action happened. The 1<sup>st</sup> defendant/respondent (hereinafter referred to as the 1<sup>st</sup> respondent) is the Honourable Chief Justice and by law, the head of the Judiciary and the Judicial Service of the Republic of Ghana as well as the Judicial Council, a body set up by and under the Constitution to perform a number of functions including the “consideration and discussion of matters relating to the functions of the Judiciary and thereby assist the Chief Justice in the performance of [her] duties with a view to ensuring efficiency and effective realization of justice…” The 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant/respondent (hereinafter referred to as the 2<sup>nd</sup> respondent) is a committee that was set up by the Judicial Council pursuant to constitutional provisions for the purpose of investigating the conduct of the plaintiff/appellant and the 3<sup>rd</sup> defendant/respondent is the Chief Legal Advisor or Officer of the government (to put it in its simplest form). The saga leading to this appeal began when the appellant, then a High Court judge stationed in Koforidua, met and collected a paltry GHC30.00 from one Kwabena Anyan who was pursuing a case in the High Court in Koforidua. Subsequently however, the same Kwabena Anyan paid various sums of money into the appellant’s Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) account because, according to Kwabena Anyan, the appellant had given his account number to the former and asked him to make the lodgments into that account so that the latter would give a favourable ruling for his family in a case titled The Republic v. Registrar, Kwawu Traditional Council, Mpraeso, ex parte Opanyin Kwabena Anyan. The said Opanyin Kwabena Anyan, having failed to obtain a favourable ruling from the appellant, lodged a written complaint with the 1<sup>st</sup> respondent against the appellant to the effect that he had given various bribes to the appellant to influence the outcome of a case before the appellant but had failed in his effort. (See exhibit on page 236 of ROA) This complaint was corroborated by another complaint lodged by the complainant’s lawyer at the time, Kwaku Baah, Esq. who proceeded to attach various exhibits of copies of the payment slips of the lodgments at the GCB Bank to his statement. (See exhibit on pages 237 to 244 of the ROA.) Upon receipt of the complaint, the 1<sup>st</sup> respondent took the matter to the Judicial Council which set up the 2<sup>nd</sup> respondent (chaired by Her Ladyship, Justice Sophia Adinyira, JSC) to investigate the complaint and to report. The 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant/respondent took evidence from the appellant and Opanyin Kwabena Anyan and upon completion of its work, submitted its report to the Judicial Council; recommending that a case of bribery had been made out against the appellant. Based on the 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant/respondent’s recommendation, a petition was sent to the President of the Republic by the 1<sup>st</sup> respondent recommending that the appellant be removed from office for Stated Misbehaviour and Incompetence. The President in turn directed the 1<sup>st</sup> respondent to take the necessary steps in accordance with the Constitution to institute impeachment proceedings against the appellant. In January, 2016 the appellant was summoned to appear before the 2<sup>nd</sup> respondent on impeachment proceedings that alleged bribery against him. On the 8/3/2016 he commenced an action in the Labour Division of the High Court, Accra against the three respondents for the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left:33.75pt;mso-add-space: auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:115%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">a)<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">A declaration that the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant erred in making a finding of prima facie case against the plaintiff based on the findings of the Disciplinary Committee report.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:33.75pt;mso-add-space: auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:115%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">b)<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";">&