Accra, June 21, GNA- The Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG) says Superior Court Judges do not take ex-gratia.
A statement issued in Accra by Justice Henry Kwofie, the President of the Association, said they had followed discussions on the payment of ex-Gratia to some Article 71 office holders and had noted with dismay “false and malicious allegations” that judges of the Superior Courts took ex-gratia.
The statement said the salaries of Superior Court Judges – Supreme Court Judges, Court of Appeal Judges and High Court Judges – were determined once every four years by the President of the republic on the recommendation of a committee appointed by the President under Article 71(1) of the Constitution 1992.
It said if increases were effected in the salary as a result of the recommendations of the Committee , the judges were then paid arrears of salary commonly called back pay arising from the back-dating of the salary increase.
“This arrears of salary or back pay are accordingly paid in a lumpsum or instalment. This has been the situation since 1996,” it added.
It said it was those arrears of salary or back pay, which was mischievously being described as ex-gratia in the press particularly on radio, television and on social media platforms and cautioned the public against such publications.
GNA