<<Print>>

Allowing the law to take its course at all times, irrespective of personalities involved, is a test of the rule of law. It is in this direction that we ask those who would rather this cardinal tenet of the rule of law is breached in the epic corruption scandal now trending because judges are involved, to consider the larger picture which is the lost confidence in the judiciary at this time and the battered image of the country. Imagine disputants in cases settling scores in the streets out of a lost confidence in the judiciary. Society would have been reduced to a huge jungle. The many years taken to build the judiciary have been blown away by the blunder or indiscretion of some members of the bench: the confidence restoration work can only be kick-started by an un-blemished adjudication of the case in conformity of the law and not some arbitrariness. The world is watching to see how the challenge is addressed. There is no doubt that the issue, especially how it is handled, would find a special place in the annals of justice across the world. Those watching us, including victims of miscarriage of justice, are for instance waiting to see whether the judges would be given preferential treatment or not. That is our worry. The Ghana Bar Association�s (GBA�s) ongoing annual conference in Kumasi could not have taken place at a more auspicious time. At a time when the learned ladies and gentlemen should have been deliberating upon whether or not to have a new voter register or even the challenged economy, they are rather pouring their hearts out over the mother of all scandals to have afflicted the citadel of justice. Speaker upon speaker last Monday expressed disappointment in the development and wished it did not happen. Their concern sums up the general mood of Ghanaians: if the judiciary is in this state where do we turn to for the interpretation of the law? Unfortunately, the implications of the scandal appear to be lost to some personalities whose interventions, especially in the media, do not cast us as a serious people who want our institutions to work. The Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood�s resolve to get to the bottom of the matter as clearly contained in her speech during the bar conference, has somewhat mitigated the apprehension of most Ghanaians who want nothing but justice. Even as the law is allowed to take its course, those detailed to manage this arduous task must be mindful about the rights of the suspects. They should not be swayed by the public sentiments in town about the right or otherwise of the judges. It is about justice, equity without fear, favour or affection. Indeed pure law!