Stop bribing judges, Justice Yonny Kulendi tells public

A justice of Ghana's Supreme Court has urged citizens to stop offering bribes to judges, saying corruption in the country's judiciary cannot be tackled unless the public also takes responsibility for attempting to influence court decisions.

Justice Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi said judges did not "give

themselves bribes" and argued that those seeking favourable rulings often fuel corruption by offering money or other inducements.

Speaking on an Accra based radio station Citi FM and monitored by The Executive Spotlight, he said "Judges don't give themselves bribes. It is litigants and Ghanaians who will offer the judge their bribe, even for the judge to contemplate it,"

"So stop bribing your judges because the judge is not supposed to sell justice to you.", he added.

His comments come amid continuing public debate over corruption and accountability within Ghana's justice system.

Justice Kulendi acknowledged that some judges and judicial officers had engaged in corrupt practices but said they represented only a small part of the judiciary.

"I'm not one of those who will say there are no corrupt judges or judicial officers," he said.

"The judges are just a cross-section of Ghanaians. To the extent that our society has corrupt people, some of them have filtered into the judiciary."

He argued that the judiciary's authority to determine legal disputes inevitably made it attractive to people inclined towards corruption.

"The judiciary presents a very predatory and opportunistic avenue for somebody who is already disposed to corruption to manifest that disposition fully," he said.

However, Justice Kulendi insisted that many judges and court officials continued to discharge their duties with integrity and remained committed to administering justice fairly.

He also pointed to disciplinary measures taken against judicial officers accused of misconduct, saying the judiciary had continued to remove errant officials while respecting due process.

"Day in, day out, people are being flushed out of the system. But there are considerations of due process," he said.

"Anybody who is a judge was first a lawyer, and then they became a judge. So when you're dealing with them, you can't be arbitrary, and you cannot compromise due process."

His remarks also referenced the aftermath of the Number 12 undercover investigation, which exposed corruption involving some judicial officers and led to disciplinary action and dismissals within Ghana's judiciary.

Justice Kulendi said restoring confidence in the justice system required both institutional accountability and a change in public behaviour.

"The judge is not supposed to sell justice to you," he said, urging Ghanaians to reject bribery and allow courts to determine cases on their merits.

His comments are likely to reignite debate over judicial integrity and the shared responsibility of public officials and citizens in tackling corruption in Ghana.