The Court will now consider the next issue which the Plaintiff has placed much
reliance on in establishing that his trial was bereft of the needed fairness as
required by the various instruments underpinning his case:
WHETHER OR NOT THE TRIAL JUDGE’S REFUSAL TO RECUSE HIMSELF FROM THE
TRIAL OF THE PLAINTIFF AMOUNTED TO A BREACH OF FAIR TRIAL RULES IN THE
CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS CASE.
It is trite that a charge or allegation of bias against a sitting judge must be
satisfactorily proved on the balance of probabilities by the person alleging same
and any flimsiest pretext should fail else accused persons would be choosing their
own judges whenever a criminal case is instituted against them.
The evidence before the Court brings to light the Plaintiff’s aspersions to the effect
that the trial Judge before whom his matter was heard, had a likelihood of bias
against him. The relevant portions of the Plaintiff’s pleadings on the issue are as
contained in paragraphs 25 and 26 of the Plaintiff’s Initiating Application cited
above reads as follows:
25.
“The Plaintiff states that Justice Mabel Agyeman who replaced him
and Ms Amie Joof who was the Minister of Justice at the time of
the plaintiff’s supposed trial were aware that the trial judge,
Justice Emmanuel Nkea was having some pending corruption
allegation matter before the plaintiff as the Chief Justice and
everybody knows the zero tolerance policy of the plaintiff, still
Justice Mabel Agyeman assigned the trial judge to try the plaintiff
which was a gross violation of the plaintiff’s human right.
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