Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress, Abraham Amaliba has defended former President John Mahama’s critique of the Judiciary.
Mr. Amaliba said Mr. John Mahama was only re-echoing the public perception about the Judiciary when he tagged them as an institution of ridicule and mistrust.
Speaking on Top Story, Monday, he described the Attorney-General, Mr. Godfred Dame’s response to the comment by Mr. Mahama as an attempt to “wish away” the corrupt perception about the Judiciary.
“The former President at that point was only echoing public sentiments. There are a plethora of surveys that indicate that public perception of the Judiciary is eroding… You cannot use emotions as it is today to wish away public perception about the Judiciary. What he did today was only using emotional arguments to seek to create an impression that what the public is thinking about the Judiciary is wrong,” he stated.
According to Mr. Amaliba, former President John Mahama did not err in any way when he reiterated the public perception of the Judiciary.
He urged the Judiciary to rather “conduct itself in ways that will ensure that public perception about them begins to look good.”
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice in responding to Mr. John Mahama’s critique said the former president has developed the habit of criticising the Judiciary unnecessarily.
He described Mr. Mahama’s attitude as deplorable and unbecoming of a former Head of State.
“I am compelled to comment on same in this address because they border on the security of the state and constitute a deliberate pattern of conduct aimed at undermining the independence of the Judiciary, an arm of government whose autonomy is crucial to its proper functioning.
“Such conduct is clearly deplorable, coming from one who has occupied the highest office of President and aspires again to that office. At this moment, it is important for all to note that I express this sentiment not because I stand in opposition to former President Mahama as a politician.
“My dismay is founded more on the fact that I am a lawyer and every lawyer ought to be concerned about these kinds of views expressed by a political leader in this country!,” Godfred Dame said at the Ghana Bar Association’s Annual Conference on Monday.
