Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) has revealed how some retired Chief Justices of Nigeria (CJN) had, over the years, acted as conduits for corruption on the Bench.
Sagay accused two former CJNs of collecting bribe on behalf of serving judges to pervert the course of justice. These past CJNs, according to him, had brought ruins to the judiciary as they were still collecting bribe in dollars on behalf of their ‘vulnerable colleagues’.
He, however, did not mention the former CJNs involved in the corrupt practices.
His words: “The lack of due diligence on the part of the NJC allowed at least two Justices of the Supreme Court to slip through the net of judicial vetting to become the Chief Justices of Nigeria. And that became a permanent embarrassment to the judiciary and Nigeria as a whole.
“Up till today, one of them calling himself ‘Consultant’ regularly carries money to his former colleagues, still serving in the judiciary, to buy justice for his law chamber clients while the other one specialized in dollars and distributing it amongst vulnerable colleagues.
“These are the types of Justices who have brought ruin to the Judiciary, making it necessary for close vetting of candidates for Chief Justice of Nigeria at the Presidential level.” Sagay, apparently rooting for a substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria with established reputation and integrity, blamed the highest judicial organ, the National Judicial Council (NJC) for the seeming corruption on the Bench.
According to him, corruption in the judiciary was fuelled by the NJC’s lack of due diligence in the appointment of Justices for the apex court.
Sagay accused two former CJNs of collecting bribe on behalf of serving judges to pervert the course of justice. These past CJNs, according to him, had brought ruins to the judiciary as they were still collecting bribe in dollars on behalf of their ‘vulnerable colleagues’.
He, however, did not mention the former CJNs involved in the corrupt practices.
His words: “The lack of due diligence on the part of the NJC allowed at least two Justices of the Supreme Court to slip through the net of judicial vetting to become the Chief Justices of Nigeria. And that became a permanent embarrassment to the judiciary and Nigeria as a whole.
“Up till today, one of them calling himself ‘Consultant’ regularly carries money to his former colleagues, still serving in the judiciary, to buy justice for his law chamber clients while the other one specialized in dollars and distributing it amongst vulnerable colleagues.
“These are the types of Justices who have brought ruin to the Judiciary, making it necessary for close vetting of candidates for Chief Justice of Nigeria at the Presidential level.” Sagay, apparently rooting for a substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria with established reputation and integrity, blamed the highest judicial organ, the National Judicial Council (NJC) for the seeming corruption on the Bench.
According to him, corruption in the judiciary was fuelled by the NJC’s lack of due diligence in the appointment of Justices for the apex court.
