Ibb judge reveals blackmail operations carried out in the name of judges in the courts
Yemen
Yamanat
A judge of the East Ibb court has revealed an incident of fraud against citizens on behalf of a number of judges, by demanding sums of money falsely attributed to them after each judicial session.
Judge Omar Abdel-Ghani Al-Hamdani explained that he discovered these practices while he was in a hospital treating his daughter, where a citizen declared having paid sums of money between 15 and 20 thousand riyals “under the pretext that they were for Judge Omar Al-Hamdani” after each hearing.
What added to the judge’s shock was that one of the same doctors told him: “By God, every session they ask me twenty or thirty thousand for the judge”, which prompted the judge to confirm that this phenomenon has become “more dangerous than simple brokerage” and that it is “a network based on the exploitation of both the fearful and the greedy.”
The judge said the woman’s words revealed to him “another wound no less painful than that of his daughter”, pointing out that there are those who exploit people’s ignorance and fear to blackmail them, calling them “thieves who hide behind the cloak of judicial power”.
The judge noted that he arrived at Jableh Hospital without money and was forced to borrow from his colleagues to cover the costs of the first examinations, before being surprised that the urgent operation required an amount of 15,000 Yemeni riyals, an amount he did not have at that time.
The judge continued: “He had no riyal in his pocket and he tried to mortgage his personal weapon, but they did not accept it… which forced him to ask for the help of a colleague to lend him an amount of fifty thousand of the value of his colleague’s rent.”
The judge called on citizens to report any financial claims made on behalf of judges, stressing that judges do not receive any monies from litigants and that any decision proven to have been made as a result of bribes is considered non-existent and can be legally overturned, as any justice system based on corruption is considered non-existent.
He stressed that remaining silent on corruption is a crime against justice and that combating this behavior can only be done with the cooperation of litigants and their awareness of their rights.
The judge confirmed his intention to prosecute “thieves who trade in the name of the judiciary”, emphasizing that this phenomenon has become a social disease that requires activating control and transparency within the courts.
He called for intensifying efforts to combat court brokering and extortion, stressing that combating this phenomenon requires community cooperation and effective monitoring to ensure the integrity of judicial work.
Legal experts say what the judge revealed represents a rare recognition of the problem of court brokerage, a phenomenon that has plagued the Yemeni justice system for years.
Legal experts say the publication of such facts represents a bold step to restore confidence in the justice system and a clear indication that the real corruption lies not with the judge, but rather around him.
They emphasized that what this incident reveals is not limited to the tragedy of citizens exploited in the name of the judiciary, but rather shows – in another aspect – the need of the judge himself for an umbrella that protects his human dignity and helps him to remain firm on the path of integrity. The judge, whatever his status, remains a person who lives in living and health conditions that can affect his family in an emergency, and it does not befit the justice of a country that one of its judges finds himself in an emergency room unable to pay the cost of his child’s treatment, andProviding comprehensive health insurance for judges and guaranteeing a generous level of basic privileges that preserve their lives and dignity is neither an administrative luxury nor a professional subsidy, but rather an integral part of reforming the justice system and protecting the course of justice. The judge who is reassured about his family and his health is the most capable of resisting temptations and threats, the most unshakeable in the face of brokerage networks and corruption, and the furthest removed from pressures likely to weaken his independence.
They emphasized that preserving the dignity of an honest judge means preserving the prestige of the entire judiciary, and that helping him follow the path of integrity and justice is the duty of the State and society, because a strong judiciary is not built only by texts, but by men whose foreheads do not bow and by an environment that protects their integrity and closes the doors of need.
Source: Law and Justice Portal
Yemen