President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, expressed worry over the delay tactics adopted by judicial officers and lawyers to stall progress in the dispensation of justice, especially in the ongoing fight against trials of corruption suspects.
He said inconclusive cases usually left negative impressions that crimes were a venture worth taking.
The President, who spoke on the role of the judiciary in the fight against corruption at an international workshop at the National Judicial Institute, NJI, Abuja, said anti-corruption war had been given a priority by his government and urged all hands to be on deck. He said: “The Judiciary should be in the forefront of efforts to develop rights-based jurisprudence as an element in the multi-disciplinary approach advocated in the fight against corruption.
‘’It does have a role to play in the fight against corruption by enforcing the applicable laws. Critically important also is the sacred duty of the judiciary to ensure that criminal justice administration is not delayed.
‘’I am worried that the expectation of the public is yet to be met by the judiciary, with regard to the removal of delay and the toleration of delay tactics by lawyers. When cases are not concluded, the negative impression is given that crime pays.
Corrupt cases filed by govt not progressing
“So far, the corruption cases filed by government are not progressing as speedily as they should, in spite of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015, essentially because the courts allow some lawyers to frustrate the reforms introduced by law. ‘’This certainly needs to change if we are to make success in our collective effort in the fight against corruption.
“As we are all aware, I have made the fight against corruption one of the top priorities of my administration in the hope of restoring the economy and build a new Nigeria. ‘’In the face of dwindling revenues and in a bid at repositioning Nigeria’s economy, it became obligatory to swiftly tackle two ills, waste and corruption.
“The eradication of corruption is a joint task involving not only judges and members of the legal profession, but literally all stakeholders, including all branches of government, the media and the civil society. ‘’The challenge is to come up with an integrated approach that balances process and substance, promote clarity to ensure a coherent and realistic formulation of objectives.
“To this end, the Judiciary is under a duty to keep its house in order and to ensure that the public, which it serves, sees this. ‘’Thus, we cannot expect to make any gains in the war against corruption in our society when the judiciary is seen as being distant from the crusade.
Judiciary must fight corruption in its own ranks
“This will not augur well and its negative effect will impact all sectors of society. The judiciary must fight delay of cases in court as well as fights corruption in its own ranks, perceived or otherwise. ‘’We expect to see less tolerance to delay tactics used by defense lawyers or even the prosecution in taking cases to conclusion.”
The President, who commended the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, the National Judicial Institute, the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, and the Commonwealth Secretariat “for conceiving such an important and timely workshop and making it happen”, stated that the workshop was timely.
“This workshop is important and timely not only because far-reaching reforms of the judiciary remains one of the key priorities of this administration but also because it offers us a unique opportunity to interact and agree on the basic tenets and guiding principles that will make our efforts acceptable to all right thinking people,” he said.
Maintaining high level of integrity and independence
President Buhari also tasked law officers to display high level of integrity and independence. His words: “Now, in carrying out its role in the fight against corruption, the judiciary must remain impartial and most importantly, be seen to be impartial.
It is incumbent on the judiciary to analyze facts based on the applicable law without prejudice and penchant regarding the case they are dealing with, and without acting in any way that would favour the interests of any of the parties.”
“Where judicial corruption occurs, the damage can be pervasive and extremely difficult to reverse. It undermines citizens’ morale, violates their human rights, harms national development and depletes the quality of governance.
“In tandem with the above and as gatekeepers of the law, the judiciary must maintain its absolute independence. Judges should hear and handle their assigned cases without any external pressure or influence either by state powers, or by their hierarchical superiors, stakeholders or economic interest groups.
“The Judiciary must take steps to ensure that it is not seen as being partisan. As such, it must be aware of the sensitivities of the public and take steps towards avoiding even the shred of a doubt as regards its independence.
‘’In justice, integrity is a necessity, hence judicial officers and all other members of this sector must always demonstrate manifest integrity,” he said. While promising to uphold the welfare of the judiciary, the President said the sector was so important to help win the war against corruption.
He said: “On our part, we are committed to promoting and supporting the judiciary to achieve a judicial system that is well staffed, well-resourced and that promotes and recognizes dedicated, committed and motivated Judges. ‘’The judiciary can count on me for this so that together we can rid our nation of the cancer of corruption.
“Let me conclude by saying the future of anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria rests not only on well-functioning, preventive systems, but also on an effective sanctions and enforcement regime in accordance with the laws. WE count on the judiciary to assist in this regard.’’
(Vanguard)
