Supreme Court Judge Yonny Kulendi Urges Ghanaians to Stop Bribing Judges Amid Judiciary Corruption
- Supreme Court Justice Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi called on Ghanaians to stop offering bribes to judges
- Kulendi acknowledged that corrupt judicial officers exist but stressed that many judges serve with honesty and integrity
- The judge urged the public to expose corrupt judges and assured that the judiciary will not shield any officer found guilty of taking bribes
Supreme Court Justice Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi has called on Ghanaians to take personal responsibility in the fight against judicial corruption.
He believes the public's habit of offering bribes is a root cause of the problem within the justice system.
Source: UGC
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on July 8, Justice Kulendi addressed widespread perceptions of corruption in the judiciary and insisted that citizens cannot place blame entirely on judges.
"I say to people, listen, judges don't give themselves bribes. It is litigants and Ghanaians who will offer the judge their bribe, even for the judge to contemplate it. So stop bribing your judges because the judge is not supposed to sell justice to you."
Kulendi, who runs law firm Kulendi@Law, did not deny the existence of corrupt judicial officers, but cautioned against painting the entire institution with the same brush.
He argued that judges reflect the broader society from which they are drawn and that corruption in the country inevitably finds its way into every institution.
Call to expose corrupt judges
Referencing the "Number 12" judicial corruption exposé, Kulendi, who has in the past faced a petition for his removal, confirmed that disciplinary action against errant judges remains ongoing, though due process must be respected in every case.
He added that the Judicial Service has stepped up ethics training to reinforce the standards expected of all officers.
The justice also directed a pointed appeal at members of the public who knowingly shield corrupt judges out of personal loyalty, urging them instead to come forward with information.
"If you know a corrupt judge, expose the judge. The judge who is collecting bribes is somebody's husband, somebody's father, somebody's uncle."
Source: YEN.com.gh
