We are not paid ex-gratia; we only receive back pays - Judiciary

The Association of Judges and Magistrates has clarified that members of the bench don’t receive ex-gratia.

According to the Association, they only receive back pays when they go on retirement.

In a statement by its president, Justice Henry Anthony Kwofie, he said the Judiciary does not collect ex-gratia for every four years.

“The Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG) has followed the discussions on the payment of Ex-Gratia to some Article 71 office holders and has noted with dismay the false and malicious allegation that judges of the Superior Courts (Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Court Judges) are paid ex-gratia at the end of every four (4) years.”

“The AMJG would like to state without any equivocation, whatsoever that, that allegation is false and baseless,” he noted

The Association would like to set the records straight as follows:

a. That, the salaries of Superior Court Judges ie. (Supreme Court Judges, Court of Appeal Judges and High Court Judges) are determined once every four (4) years by His Excellency the President on the recommendation of a Committee appointed by the President under Article 71(1) of the Constitution 1992.

b. That, if increases are effected in the salary as a result of the recommendations of the Committee , the judges are then paid arrears of salary commonly called Back pay arising from the back-dating of the salary increase.

c. This arrears of salary or back pay are accordingly paid in a lump sum or installment. This has been the situation since 1996.

d) It is this arrears of salary or back pay which is mischievously being described as ex-gratia in the press particularly on radio, television and on social media platforms by some seasoned journalist and so-called social commentators who never attempted to look for the truth.

The Association has therefore stated state “categorically that no Superior Court Judge is or has ever been paid ex-gratia every four years as being wrongly stated in the media.”

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