‘Corrupt judges will be prosecuted’ – Attorney General

by Emeka Nwankwo

Abubakar Malami, the attorney general and minister for justice, on Tuesday promised that there will be no sacred cows in the Buhari administration’s fight against corruption.

The Attorney General made the declaration at the presentation of the report titled: “Go Home and Sin No More: Corrupt Judges Escaping from Justice in Nigeria.”

Malami, who was the Special Guest at the presentation and was represented by his senior special assistant on White Collar Crimes, Abiodun Aikomo, stated that it is imperative to ensure that judges are not corrupt as they play a critical role in the administration of justice.

The AGF further stated that the Presidency will work to ensure that corrupt judges are arrested, prosecuted and their illegally acquired assets, confiscated.

The AGF declared that: “I can assure you today that in line with the cardinal agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation shall ensure that every appearance of corruption in the judiciary is dealt  with among other measures through criminal prosecution and forfeiture to the State of illegally acquired assets.”

“Acts of judicial impunity will also not be condoned, so that our Judges can be judicially accountable at all times in a corruption-free judiciary which is both independent and impartial. All these, shall be achieved, (together with partners like SERAP), without violating the fundamental human rights of the persons involved, and in line with rule of law and international best practices. That would be this administration’s own way of saying: Go and sin no more…!”

The minister also noted that the only mandate of the judiciary “should be to deliver justice without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. The world over, the rule of law, and separation of powers which are inseparable components of a democratic government, presupposes the existence of an independent and impartial judiciary.

“Unfortunately the trust reposed in the Nigerian Judiciary is often betrayed on the altar of corruption or other conducts incompatible with the exalted office of a Judge. Though, there have been cases of removal of some judges for acts unbecoming of judicial officers, often times upon the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC) in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) (1999 Constitution) which empowers the President to remove a judicial officer from office on the recommendation of NJC.

“Nevertheless, in reality, on a comparison between the widely reported cases of corruption in the Judiciary vis-à-vis the records of judicial officers who have actually been punished therefore, it would appear as if Nigerian judges enjoy total immunity from prosecution for corruption (and allied offences), whereas judges are not immune from discipline for any misdeed let alone for corruption.”

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail