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The Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG) has described as malicious and false some accusations levelled against one its members and Supreme Court Judge Clemence Honyenuga.
President of the Association Justice Henry Kwofie told pressmen the group has taken notice of social media comments that the top judge was given two cars by President Akufo-Addo to ensure that former CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board, Dr Stephen Opuni is jailed.
Justice Honyenuga who is presiding over the case as an additional High Court judge, was earlier this year restrained by the Apex Court from hearing the case after he was accused of bias by Dr Opuni.
The decision was later set aside by an enhanced review panel with the judge permitted to hear the case.
Reacting to the claims for the first time the AMJG argued the Supreme Court Judge is entitled to the vehicles.
“This allegation, which is being thrown around all over the place especially on social media, we find it as a deliberate attempt to cause disaffection for Justice Honyenuga, to His Lordship the Chief Justice and the Judiciary in general and we take a strong exception , and we also see it as an attempt to scandalize the judiciary, and we take a strong exception to it”, Justice Henry Kwofie told pressmen.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had earlier criticized Justice Honyenuga’s reinstatement describing it as a travesty of justice.
In an eight-page statement, the party said Mr. Opuni was being denied justice because “the State has been given an advantage that has been denied the accused persons.”
“The excluded exhibits supported the case of Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, Seidu Agongo and Agricult, as they demonstrated the falsity of the claims of the prosecution that the lithovit fertilizer COCOBOD purchased from Agricult was not of good quality,” the NDC contended.
“Strangely, similar exhibits tendered through the same investigator through whom the 18 excluded exhibits were tendered and which suggested that lithovit fertilizer was inefficaciously retained by the Judge without proferring any justification for his unequal and partial treatment of the exhibits that were adduced in evidence in identical circumstances.”
About the case
The former COCOBOD CEO and Agricult Ghana Limited CEO, Seidu Agongo, are standing trial together with Agricult Ghana Limited for allegedly causing the state to lose over GHS 217 million in a cocoa fertilizer transaction.
Dr. Opuni and Mr. Agongo are facing 27 charges including defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, corruption by public officers, and contravention of the Public Procurement Act.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH with additional files from the CNR
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