The Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG), yesterday stated that Supreme Court Judge, Justice Clemence Honyenugah, is discharging his judicial duties in the ongoing Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni trial as a neutral umpire.
The AMJG said Justice Clemence Honyenugah is not influenced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to jail the accused and one other.
It has, therefore, appealed to persons making allegations of bribery against Justice Honyenugah on social media to desist from the act.
Addressing a press conference, on Wednesday, in Accra, the President of AMJG, Justice Henry A. Kwofie, said allegations made against the Supreme Court judge were malicious, unfounded and made to cause disaffection for Justice Honyenugah.
Some faceless persons took to social media to malign Justice Honyenugah, who is conducting proceedings in the case, in which Dr Opuni and Mr Seidu Agongo, the Managing Director of Agricult Ghana Limited, a fertiliser manufacturing company, are standing trial, for allegedly causing financial loss to the state in a fertiliser deal,thathe has been given two vehicles, one SUV V8 and a Saloon car by President Akufo-Addo through the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah.
The President of AMJG said “the accusations are to the effect that Justice Honyenuga has been given 2 brand new vehicles, one SUV V8 and a Saloon Car by the President of the Republic through the Chief Justice with the sole purpose of getting Justice Honyenuga to jail 2 persons namely Dr Opuni and Seidu Agongo,
who are accused persons in a case being tried by Justice Honyenuga as an additional High Court Judge.”
He stated that “the AMJG finds this allegation against Justice Clemence Honyenuga and indeed the Judiciary as a whole as an attempt to create disaffection against the said judge and by extension the Judiciary in Ghana as a whole.
“The Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG) has noted with concern the false and malicious allegations leveled on various social media platforms against Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, a Justice of the Supreme Court”.
Justice Kwofie explained that all “Supreme Court Judges by their conditions of appointment since 2013 are entitled to 2 official vehicles; one SUV and a Saloon car”.
Aside that, the Court of Appeal judge stated that Court of Appeal judges on the other hand were also entitled to one Toyota Land Cruiser Prado vehicle
whilst High Court judges were entitled to One Toyota Fortuner vehicle as Oficial vehicles.
According to Justice Kwofie, the Judicial Service in 2021 ordered seven Toyota Land Cruiser SUV Vehicles and eleven Toyota Camry Saloon cars for Supreme Court judges who do not have official vehicles.
He said “these Supreme Court Judges who are seven (7) in number were appointed in December 2019 and May 2020 respectively. Among these Supreme Court judges is Justice Clemence Honyenuga.”
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
