President Bola Tinubu has identified frivolous appeals, intimidation of Judges by lawyers and judgments delivered on grounds of technicalities as some of the major challenges impeding the war against corruption in Nigeria.
According to him, until these challenges are curtailed, they will continue to hamper the speedy adjudication of corruption cases.
Tinubu stated this on Monday while declaring open the 6th Economic and Financial Crimes Commission/National Judicial Institute Capacity Building Workshop for Justices and Judges at the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Abuja.
The president was represented by the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima.
He, however, acknowledged that prosecution of corruption cases had improved remarkably, following the justice sector reforms in the last few years.
The president described the capacity-building workshop as a platform to collectively raise a strong voice against Nigeria’s common enemy called corruption.
Tinubu said, ” There is no gainsaying the fact that the judiciary is central to the success of the anti corruption efforts.
” The commitment, courage and patriotism of judicial officers are ingredients that make the difference in the fight against corruption.
” Though I am aware that prosecution of corruption matters has improved in the light of the justice sector reforms in the last few years.
”We are not oblivious of some challenges that continue to impede the speedy adjudication of corruption cases.
” They include frivolous applications and appeals, meant to delay the trial, intimidation of judges by counsel, and judgment based not on the facts of cases but on technicalities.”
He said that no Nigerian was immune to corruption, a cancer which continues to deny the nation the full benefits of her God-given resources.
Tinubu urged the judiciary arm of government to ensure that the courts are equipped with the required knowledge to handle cases involving these new forms of crime.
” As an administration, we remain committed to creating the right environment for judicial officers to discharge their responsibilities.
” One of the major actions of the government within the first year of my administration was improving the welfare of judges across the board with an increase in their remuneration.
“Official accommodation is also being provided for various categories of judicial officers in highbrow areas of the Federal Capital Territory,” he stated.
The president assured his administration has, through strategic investment, recovered proceeds of corruption in critical social programmes.
He added that his administration moved to reduce the pressure on vulnerable Nigerians to resort to corrupt practices.
Tinubu commended the EFCC for its commitment in fighting all economic and financial crimes, especially in tracing and recovering stolen assets.
He assured that the Federal Government would continue to support the work of the commission to ensure that it continues to deliver its statutory mandate without let or hindrance”.
Tinubu thanked the leaderships of NJI and EFCC for initiating the annual workshop for prosecutors and judicial officers.
He expressed the hope that the seminar would interrogate the challenges hampering the fight against corruption.
Earlier, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, commended the current leadership of anti-graft agencies for their commitment and collaboration with the judiciary in handling economic, financial crimes and related cases.
Kekere-Ekun urged that the law enforcement agencies must begin to see judicial officials as partners in the anti-graft campaign in Nigeria.
She pledged the support and commitment of the judiciary in the campaign through capacity-building initiatives for justices, judges and prosecuting officers.
The CJN stated that economic and financial crimes were posing significant threats to national and global economies and must be tackled by all stakeholders.
On his part, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who was represented by the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Jibrin Barau, praised the collaboration between anti-graft agencies and the judiciary.
“It is incumbent on us all as stakeholders to adopt and implement pragmatic solutions that will help address challenges confronting our country, including financial crimes,” he said.
Akpabio also advocated a periodic review of laws relating to economic crimes and the creation of a central database for use by law enforcement agencies.
He maintained that the complexity of financial crimes required constant tweaking of the laws.
