•Advocates special courts to review files of ex-govs, others
Thursday, 03 November 2011
LEADER of the South-South geopolitical zone, Chief Edwin Clark, on Wednesday, raised the alarm over the growing incidence of corruption in Nigeria with the greatest impact on the judicial system, as he called for declaration of a state of emergency in the judiciary for the government to tackle the menace.
Clark said the menace of corruption had consistently been dwarfing the status of Nigeria in the comity of nations, while alleged sharp practices in the Nigerian judicial system, according to him, had reduced the integrity of the judiciary in Nigeria.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Chief Clark noted that the crippling effects of corruption on the judiciary was a reason no fewer than 50 high-profile cases on corruption levelled against some former state governors, ministers, legislators and top government functionaries, since the past six years, had not been concluded.
Clark specifically pleaded with the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, to live by his earlier promise to sanitise the judicial system by declaring a state of emergency in the system to enable him to fulfil his promises by addressing the problem of corruption among legal practitioners.
He reminded Justice Musdapher of his vow that, “it is important to ensure that those who abuse the privilege of judicial authority are exposed, expunged, banished and punished,” noting that the chief justice owed Nigeria a duty to save it from the debilitating effect of corruption by sanitising the judiciary once and for all.
He said a state of emergency in the judiciary would enable him to exhume the buried case files of ex-governors, ministers and others and direct them to special courts to be established for accelerated hearing and determination of the cases in the interest of the Nigerian future.
He said: “Your Lordship, as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, you should direct the various courts handling the high-profile cases of corruption levelled against former governors, ministers and government officials to resuscitate and give accelerated hearings within a period of six to 12 months in order to do justice to them.
“A situation whereby accused persons or criminals are parading themselves as celebrities, senators, House of Representatives members, party leaders has been casting a big dent on the image of Nigeria.”
The 84-year-old elder statesman also called for the amendment of laws and rules of procedure involving all cases of corruption in Nigeria, in a manner that would shift the burden of proof to the accused or corrupt officers on how they acquired their wealth or assets, rather than the prosecutor.
He also advocated the setting up of special courts in the six geopolitical zones of the federation to handle high-profile cases of corruption in line with earlier suggestion by the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs Farida Waziri.
He added: “I fully recognise that the judges who handle cases of corruption are the same [ones] who also handle civil and election cases. It is strongly advised that Your Lordship and the National Judicial Council (NJC) should assign or appoint some judges whose duties are to handle only corruption cases. This is necessary in order to facilitate accelerated hearing of these cases.”
Clark commended both the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), at least, for raising awareness on the level of corruption by some government officials and by instituting legal actions against some of them, noting that the courts in Nigeria should do justice to the cases pending before them, since both the ICPC and EFCC could not go beyond the investigation and arraignment of suspects.
He enjoined Nigerians to rise against the menace of corruption in Nigeria by speaking out against it.
SOURCE: Nigerian Tribune Newspaper, 3 November 2011http://www.tribune.com.ng
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