The Chief Justice, Mrs. Georgina Theodora Wood, has directed the invitation of lawyer Chris Ackumey to substantiate his claim that a judge he knows took a bribe of GHS500 in 2008. A letter signed by Justice Julius Ansah, a Justice of the Supreme Court and Director of the Complaints Unit of the Judicial Service gave Mr. Ackumey May 31, 2011 as the deadline for him to respond to the invitation. Chris Ackumey made the allegation on Saturday while contributing to discussions on Joy FM’s Newsfile programme, promising to name at the appropriate time, the said judge as well as other people who were privy to it. “In view of the seriousness of your allegation and the avowed aim of the Judicial Service under the leadership of the Hon. Lady Chief Justice to fight corruption in the Judiciary whenever it rears its head, I am inviting you to provide the Unit with information relative to this specific allegation so it can be investigated and the appropriate action taken thereafter. “I trust that you will respond favourably to this invitation. The deadline for you to respond to this invitation is May 31, 2011,” the letter said. The Judges and Magistrates' Association, an association of all judges and magistrates in Ghana last week blacklisted four lawyers for asserting that judges and the judiciary are corrupt, with the Association insisting that until the four lawyers; Raymond Atuguba, David Annan, Abraham Amaliba and Larry Bimi provided proof that indeed judges and the judiciary are corrupt, no judge will sit on a case involving them even as counsel. Last Thursday the Supreme Court refused to hear a case brought against the MP for Bawku Central because Raymond Atuguba appeared as plaintiff counsel. The four lawyers made the corruption allegations at a round-table discussion on the Judiciary and Ghana’s justice system in Accra, organized by the National Commission for Civic Education as part of its annual constitution week celebration. Story by Isaac Yeboah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana