Kulendi gives six reasons his ties with Akufo-Addo won’t affect his new Supreme Court job

Supreme Court (SC) nominee Yoni Kulendi, has vowed to be fair in every case he presides over despite his links to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Mr Kulendi trained as a lawyer at Mr Akufo-Addo’s firm. He later had a successful career after establishing Kulendi@Law.

With a strong connection to the President who nominated him, some legislators, especially from the Minority, have questioned his ability to remain neutral in cases involving his mentor.

During his vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Tuesday, May 12,  Member of Parliament (MP) for Bodi, Samson Ahi requested to know how Mr Kulendi would abide by the oath of Supreme Court judges.

Mr Kulendi, whose niece is married to the MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, also a member of the committee, presented several reasons to support his stance.

I needed my wife’s permission to take Supreme Court job with lower pay – Kulendi

Below are six quotes by Mr Kulendi to justify why he would not be bias.

1. “I have relationships with several other politicians.”

2. “If the President did not nominate me…If I were nominated for some other job he would most likely be my primary professional referee and you would have seen in his name on this CV.”

3. “Judges take a judicial oath which is captured in this constitution.”

4. “The tenets of that oath is a sacred pledge to the Ghanaian people, to God and to your conscience that you will do right by all manner of men who appear before you without fear, favour or ill will and that you will show fidelity to the constitution, the law and be true to your conscience in your role. That has to be my matrix and basis to which I proceed into this job.”

5. “Not just to do with the President but Mr Chairman, I see around this table people with whom I have some very extensive social relations and if by the grace of God you approve me for this job and a matter comes before me that involved one or any of such persons I will have to engage the considerations of my oath, the considerations of conflict of interest, the considerations of bias and do fidelity to the law.”

6. “My cultural orientation and personal value system is that if you ever deal with me in consideration of right and wrong, you may not like me because I tend to see black as black and see white as white”