Thursday, September 24, 2015

UPDATE: How Ghanaian Judges Provided A Spectacle For The Nation; People Eager To See Investigative Film “Ghana in the Eyes of God…”


Ghana's newspaper front pages are dominated by pictures of the queues of people waiting to see a film which show alleged judicial corruption. (Image source & caption: BBC)

According to JoyOnline, huge crowd of ecstatic patrons have thronged the Accra International Conference Centre Tuesday evening to watch the much anticipated video on judicial scandal. People from all walks of life holding free tickets formed long winding queue at the forecourt of the venue, looking excited and privileged to watch the premiering of a film titled “Ghana in the Eyes of God – Epic of Injustice”.

Roads leading to the venue was built with a snail pace vehicular movement as many curious patrons trooped to the place to the two-show video detailing corruption in the judicial system.

The two-year painstaking investigative piece by Anas Aremeyaw Anas shows 12 High Court judges, 22 circuit court judges and magistrates as well as court officials and police officers allegedly taking bribes to set free rapists, murderers and armed robbers amongst others.

Anas Aremeyaw Anas' film screened on Tuesday night despite attempts to stop it (Image source: BBC)

JoyOnline report continues:
Anas himself is at the venue with a number of dignitaries. Before screening the video, Ghana’s national anthem was sang and a short prayer session held followed by a few speeches.

There have been frantic attempts by persons implicated in the video to scuttle showing of the video.

Large audiences fill the hall of the screening venue (Image source: joyonline)

Some have gone to court seeking several reliefs including placing injunction on broadcasting of the video. The summons are contesting the content of the video, plans to air it, the immunity granted Anas from prosecution and an application seeking his incarceration.

One of the judges who applied for an application for interlocutory injunction on the public screening of the video, Justice Paul Dery withdrew it Tuesday morning after his lawyer claimed bailiffs are finding it difficult to serve Anas and his company, Tiger Eye PI.

Suit or no suit, counsel for Anas, Kissi Adjabeng was emphatic when he assured that the video would be premiered Tuesday evening.

Many Ghanaians and foreign nationals wait patiently on lengthy queues to see the film (Image source: joyonline)

Even though the Accra International Conference Centre where the video would be premiered has been served with the writ of summons, Mr. Adjabeng maintained that his client “has a contract with them for the premiering; the place booked and paid for”.

To show or not show the video evidencing steep corruption in the judiciary has divided the country. But on the majority are those who think the video former President Kufuor has described as a shame on the legal fraternity should be shown.
The video is being screened amidst tight security. It would be shown again on Wednesday, September 23, 2015.

Image source: BBC

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