Supreme Court Judge Justice Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi has urged Ghanaians to stop offering bribes to judges, arguing that tackling corruption within the judiciary requires the cooperation of both judicial officers and the public.
According to him, while corruption exists within the justice system, individuals who attempt to influence court decisions through bribery are equally responsible for sustaining the problem.
“I say to people, listen, 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 said.
Justice Kulendi acknowledged that some judicial officers engage in corrupt practices but stressed that such cases should not define the entire judiciary.
“I’m not one of those who will say that there are no corrupt judges or there are no corrupt judicial officers. Then they must have come from some other planet, and they are not Ghanaians,” he said.
“So the judges are just a cross-section of Ghanaians. And so to the extent that our society has corrupt people, some of them have filtered into the judiciary,” he added.
He noted that the nature of judicial work can attract individuals with corrupt intentions because of the significant authority judges wield in resolving disputes.
“The judiciary presents a very predatory and opportunistic avenue for somebody who is already disposed to corruption to manifest that outrageous disposition fully. So it is there,” he stated.
Despite acknowledging the existence of corruption, Justice Kulendi maintained that many judges and court officials continue to serve with integrity, impartiality and professionalism.
He also referred to the aftermath of the Number 12 judicial corruption exposé, saying disciplinary action has continued to be taken against judicial officers found to have engaged in misconduct, while respecting the principles of due process.
“Day in, day out, people are being flushed out of the system. But there are considerations of due process. 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,” he said.
Justice Kulendi made the remarks during an interview on Citi FM on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, while discussing public perceptions of corruption within Ghana’s justice system.
