Don’t make justice a commercial commodity to ‘rapacious elite’, CJN urges judges

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, has said that corruption thrives in an atmosphere of impunity.

The CJN, who said the war against corruption cannot be successful if there is continued impunity in the country.

Justice Onnoghen stated this on Monday, at a special court session of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to mark the beginning of its 2018/2019 legal year and the swearing in of 30 lawyers as Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN.

The CJN also tasked Justices of the Supreme Court and judicial officers across the federation to resist attempts by those he described as “rapacious elite” to make justice a commercial commodity.

According to him, the fight against corruption will remain a mirage until there is a corresponding fight against the culture of impunity in the country, adding that some lawyers have been found to have falsified court judgements in a bid to attain the rank of SAN.

“If we allow and respect the rule of law, then there will be a dramatic reduction in corruption and injustice.

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“Corruption or any other form of injustice, for that matter, thrives in a culture of impunity. To carry out a successful campaign against corruption, we have to fight the culture of impunity, which is an attitudinal phenomenon.

“If we allow and respect the rule of law, then there will be a dramatic reduction in corruption and injustice. Corruption starts with a decision by an individual or a group of individuals to do the wrong thing. It is as simple as that. Corruption is never an accidental act. The person who commits a corrupt act has an option to do the right thing.

“Corruption in the judicial arm of government happens if an arbiter, in this case a magistrate, a judge, a justice or a panel, having heard from all parties and having determined where justice lies, decides to do the wrong thing by giving judgment to favour a particular individual or party over another”, the CJN said.

Speaking on corruption in the justice sector, the CJN revealed that some applicants that applied to be elevated to the SAN rank were found to have engaged in dishonourable conduct, such as forgery of judgments, resulting in their being reported to the Police for investigation and possible prosecution.

Justice Onnoghen further said that the National Judicial Council (NJC) was determined to redress proven cases of judicial corruption with swift and decisive measures.

According to him, the Anti Corruption Cases Trial Monitoring Committee, COTRIMCO, had at the end of the last legal year, identified a total of 1,499 pending graft cases.

He said: “Of this number, a total of 345 judgments were delivered, 14 cases reserved for judgment and 12 cases struck out.”

 

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