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A Memorial Service for the three High Court Judges who were murdered 42 years ago was yesterday held in Accra with the call on Ghanaians to be guided by the mistakes of the past and say never and never again.
According to Reverend Dr Fred R. Degbee, the Immediate Past Senior Pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church, celebrating another occasion of those martyred 42 years ago comes with a grieving heart that is why as a nation we must stand together against its future occurrence.
The three High Court Judges, Justice Fred Poku Sarkodee, Mrs Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addow, Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong and a retired Army officer were on the night of June 30, 1982 abducted during curfew hours from their homes and murdered at the Bundase Military Range in the Accra Plains.
The discovered bodies were soaked in petrol and set on fire but divine intervention in the form of a heavy downpour that night quenched the burning bodies but at the time of the discoveries the charred bodies had already deteriorated into a state of decomposition.
He indicated that the reason sent by God was the turning point in the country’s history else the missing bodies would have been a mystery.
The world, Rev. Degbee noted, is not fair as people do evil to other people without any provocation because they do not believe in the judgement of God.
“Bad things happen to good people leading to good things coming out of it but despite these interventions the world including Ghana continue to face serious challenges including widespread bribery and corruption, embezzlement, weak institutions, lack of enforcement, excessive interference and lack of transparency has permeated every aspect of society with some religious leaders depending on their stomach instead of the word of God.
“It was to salvage the situation that the legal profession was born to play that critical role in addressing and curbing the integrity crisis,” he added.
Rev. Degbee who was also the Immediate Past Denominational Board Chair of the Ghana Baptist Convention, stated that lawyers and judges must ensure that the law is applied fairly and consistently which includes fighting corruption and advocating for legal reforms to close loopholes that allow unethical behaviour.
He stressed that promoting transparency and accountability among legal professionals can help create and enforce laws that promote transparency in both public and private sectors by supporting legislation for freedom of information and protecting whistle-blowers.
Rev. Degbee urged the need for more legal education and advocacy to enlighten the public on their legal rights and responsibilities, as well as empowering the citizenry to demand integrity from their leaders and advised the legal profession to maintain high ethical standards among its members by invoking rigorous disciplinary measures against those who engage in corrupt practices or unethical behaviour.
He said ensuring the independence of the judiciary is crucial for maintaining public trust in the legal system and charged judges and lawyers to resist political and financial pressures to ensure impartiality in their decisions and also provide legal representation to victims of corruption and those who seek to challenge corrupt practices to ensure that justice is accessible to all and not just the privileged few.
The integrity crisis in the Ghanaian society, Rev Degbee stated can be attributed to widespread corruption and weak institutions, lack of enforcement in both the public and private which erode public confidence, excessive political interference in legal and regulatory processes which compromise the integrity of institutions, opacity in government operations and decision-making processes, poverty and economic hardship gaps in the legal system.
The President of the Ghana Bar Association, Yaw Acheampong Boafo, assured the judiciary of its unflinching solidarity and enduring respect in the discharge of their judicial oath without fear or favour
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
