85% of Ghanaians say ‘some’ judges and magistrates are corrupt – Afrobarometer Survey

A latest survey conducted by Afrobaromenter in the judicial sector has revealed that “more than eight in 10 Ghanaians (85%) say at least “some” judges and magistrates are corrupt.

This includes 40% who say this about “most” or “all” of these court officials, according to the report. Afrobarometer studied judicial systems in some countries across the continent as part of its objectives to “provide reliable data on Africans’ experiences and evaluations of quality of life, governance, and democracy.”

The arm of government in 2015, had its credibility dented in an explosive investigative expose by undercover journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, where senior judges were caught on tape engaging in bribery to manipulate cases in giver’s favour.

This development courted some level of disaffection among some Ghanaians towards the courts.

However, the government has since attempted to give the judiciary a facelift through the introduction of initiatives such as the e-justice system, improvement in infrastructure and a paperless system to focus on transparency and accountability.

But these efforts targeted at weaning the corruption perception are still not enough has Ghana fell from the first position in 2018 to sixth in the World Justice Project, 2019.

The Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, during his vetting by members of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, also said corruption accusations against the Judiciary have been exaggerated. Ghana Center for Democratic Development spearheaded the Afrobarometer team in Ghana to interview over 2,400 adult Ghanaians between September 16 and October 3, 2019.

According to the report released on Friday, February 28, 2020, “more than three-fourths of Ghanaians say the president – and ordinary citizens – must obey the courts and laws.”

It, however, stressed that “fewer than half of respondents say they trust courts “a lot” (16%) or “somewhat” (32%).

Source:Fiilafmonline/JoyNews