Malami requests NASS intervention to offset N150bn judgement debt

.Demands 2.5% accruals on asset recovery

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has called for legislative intervention of the National Assembly in offsetting the N150 billion high judgement debt profile.

He lamented that the Hydra headed judgement debt rose to the high amount due to lackadaisical attitude of government in appropriating fund for the payment.

Malami added that it was only in 2017 that the sum of N10 billion was appropriated disbursed for the payment of judgement debt.

The minister led the management team of his ministry and heads of agencies and parastatals under the Justice ministry to a budget defence session before the Senate Committee on Justice, Human Rights and Legal Matters on Wednesday.

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He said: “The judgement debt profile keeps increasing without corresponding budgetary provision. We are disappointed over indifference to judgement debt by the Federal Government.

“At the home front, judgement debt kept mounting, threat to peace, breaches of the peace, outside aggressions and allied reprehensible violence, extremism have all combined to constitute suffocating legal challenges with attendant mounting financial demands in servicing them”.

He passionately appealed to the committee to “intervene on this long standing vexed issue by appropriating the sum of N30 billion annually to mitigate this challenge to forestall possible friction, accrued interest and unwanted litigations arising from our failure to effect payment.

“No budget provision has ever been set aside for judgement debt. But we work under very challenging condition but there is a glimmer of hope that we shall overcome the international conspiracy”.

Malami also expressed worries that paucity of funds remain a challenge to the operations of the ministry, adding that the rule of law is important but capital intensive.

“Paucity of funds remain a notorious challenge. Regardless, we shall not relent on what we have set out to accomplish largely because the rule of law is undoubtedly the pillar of democracy the world over. Distinguished committee members, the rule of law is good and noble but greatly capital intensive”, he said.

He, however, said the ministry will remain undaunted in discharging its responsibilities while he lauded officials of the ministry for fidelity to keep faith with rule of law.

The Attorney General frowned at all deposits with Ministry of Finance without remittance to his Ministry that engage in the rigorous adjudication offshore countries and therefore demanded for expenditure to meet up crucial international obligations not captured in the  annual expenditure overtime.

The minister demanded that 2.5 percent of accruals of asset recovery be deposited with his office to replenish efforts of the ministry.

He said: “This platform provides another excellent opportunity for me to push for approval of 2.5 percent as requisite commission arising from recovery of our stolen assets stashed off the shores of Nigeria.

“A unit of asset recovery in the Federal Ministry of Justice has evidently deposited all recoveries so far into the Federal Government treasury and it is true enough that we need a sizeable commission to replenish our efforts.

“Billions were recovered and are being pursued without any supporting budgetary provision for the purpose of pursuing the illicit finances being recovered day in day out through the Federal Ministry of Justice”.

Chairman of the committee, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, said the Committee was aware of the additional responsibilities placed on the Ministry of Justice with regard to the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act which empowers the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, in Section 29(1) of the Constitution to monitor, promote and protect the right to records and information.

He said these undoubtedly is an additional responsibility which has placed additional financial burden on the Ministry.

Speaking on the judgement debt profile, Bamidele said the Committee “is worried about the judgement debt profile of the country which keeps soaring by the day as there are no corresponding budgetary allocations to handle such and it is a matter of concern to the Committee.

“It is on record that the last allocation the Ministry got for judgement debt was in the 2017 Appropriation Act where the sum of N10 billion was appropriated. The Committee is deeply concerned with the failure of our government to service its judgement debt as expected, which has put our image before the international community at stake.

“The Committee would strive to ensure that budgetary provisions are made in order to offset the debt burden,” he added.