Looters Trial: NJC panel receives 2, 306 corruption cases

The National Judicial Council (NJC’s) Corruption Financial Crimes Cases Trials Monitoring Committee (COTRIMCO) has received list of 2, 306 ongoing corruption cases nationwide from its four sub-committee.

The NJC panel has also resolved to actively engage prosecutorial bodies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in furtherance of its mandate.

The sub-committees are; Practice Directions, Training, Feedback and Engagement and Awareness. The committees were constituted at the meeting of the anti-graft panel under its Chairman, Hon. Justice Suleiman Galadima.

A statement by the NJC’s Director, Information National Judicial Council (NJC, Mr Soji Oye,
said the Committee has divided the country into three zones for ease of monitoring and evaluation of the said cases.

The zones are: Zone A, Abuja FCT; Zone B, Northern Zone and Zone C, Southern Zone.

The Chief Judges of State Divisions who were yet to submit the list of the alleged corruption cases to the committee are also reminded to do so without further delay.

The panel also directed its Secretary, Gambo Saleh, Esq. who is also the Council’s Secretary, to write to the defaulting CJs.

At the last count, Zone A in Abuja has 554 pending alleged cases, Zone B has 347 cases, with Zone C having 1, 405 cases.

The Committee, after brainstorming on all the pending alleged corruption and financial crime cases submitted to it by the Heads of Court that had complied with the directives, also indicated that a new Practice Direction would soon be issued to judges handling the said cases.

The Daily Times recalls that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, had directed the Heads of Court to designate Courts and Judges that will solely handle the on-going trials of alleged corruption cases on daily basis; to fast-track all the pending anti-graft cases.

The Practice Directions sub-committee has commenced a review of various practice directions by leveraging on both local and foreign comparative jurisdictions to meet global best practice.

According to the committee, it is imperative that other critical stakeholders buy into the mission of the body, directing that regular updates and advocacy postings on sub-committees’ activities must be a permanent feature of the project.

No date has been fixed for the planned interface with the anti-corruption bodies.

Andrew Orolua, Abuja.