Supreme Court dismisses Justice Dery’s suit

The Supreme Court has in a unanimous decision dismissed the case in which two judges implicated in the judicial bribery scandal are challenging the Judicial Council for withholding their full salaries.

The two, Justice Paul Uuter Dery and Justice Gilbert Ayisi Addo, sued the Judicial Council, the Chief Justice and four other institutions for serving them notices to slash their salaries by half and also suspend payment of their allowances with the exception of rent allowances.

The Justices, in delivering their judgement, said the suit was dismissed without giving any reasons for the unanimous decision.

They indicated that they would give reasons for their judgment in seven days.

The plaintiffs are among the 12 High Court judges captured by Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s audio and video recordings, which showed them collecting bribes from litigants to pervert the course of justice.

After the Committee’s exercise, the two, who were still under investigation, received letters from the Judicial Council, stating that they would receive half of their salaries.

They headed to court seeking a declaration that the decision of the Judicial Council in December 2015, contained in letters dated January 8 to January 11, 2016 purporting to suspend payments of all their allowances except rent, was inconsistent in law.

The plaintiffs claimed the move was also in contravention of Article 127 (5) of the 1992 Constitution and therefore unconstitutional, null and void and prayed the court for an order to nullify the decision of the council.

Source: GNA