Frivolous appeals, technicalities undermining anti-corruption efforts — Tinubu
…Calls for urgent judicial reforms to combat corruption in Nigeria
…As CJN Kekere-Ekun harps on collaboration between judiciary, anti-graft agencies
President Bola Tinubu has expressed grave concerns over the challenges posed by frivolous appeals and technicalities in the judicial process, warning that these issues could jeopardise Nigeria’s ongoing battle against corruption.
Speaking on Monday at the 6th Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and National Judicial Institute (NJI) Capacity Building Workshop for Justices and Judges in Abuja, Tinubu emphasised the need for a robust judicial response to corruption-related cases.
Represented at the event by the Vice President Kashim Shettima, he described the capacity-building workshop as a platform to collectively raise a strong voice against Nigeria’s common enemy called corruption.
Shettima, while delivering the President’s speech at the event, stated, “There is no gainsaying the fact that the judiciary is central to the success of the anticorruption 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 judgement based not on the facts of cases but on technicalities.”
President Tinubu pointed out that “corruption is cancer which continues to deny the nation the full benefits of her God-given resources,” even as he maintained that only the enlightened collective interest of all Nigerians “to close ranks and aggressively tackle this common enemy” can make the difference, instead of looking up “to only the Anti-Corruption Agencies for solutions to this malaise.”
Observing that advances in technology have increased the complexity of financial crimes beyond the scope of current jurisprudence, Tinubu cited the emergence of virtual assets, which he said, “have occasioned an upsurge in cryptocurrency fraud.”
He 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.
On the part of the executive arm of government, the President said his administration has, through strategic investment of recovered proceeds of corruption in critical social programmes, moved to reduce the pressure on vulnerable Nigerians to resort to corrupt practices, just as he identified the Students Loan Fund and the Consumer Credit Scheme as part of these social interventions.
Tinubu continued, “The two notable ones are the Students Loan Fund being managed by NELFUND and the Consumer Credit Scheme under the supervision of the Nigerian Credit Corporation, CREDICORP.
“With easy access to loans, we are confident that most of our indigent students will have no need to embrace cybercrime, while the credit scheme offers workers easy access to money to fund their needs despite the harsh economic realities.”
He 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 “will continue to support the work of the Commission to ensure that it continues to deliver its statutory mandate without let or hindrance.”
The President further thanked the leaderships of NJI and EFCC for initiating the annual workshop for prosecutors and judicial officers, expressing hope that the seminar will interrogate the challenges hampering the fight against corruption as well as provide “an opportunity for the bar and the bench to improve their capacity in dealing with emerging typologies of financial crimes.”
Earlier in her address, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, commended the efforts of the current leadership of anti-graft agencies in the country for their commitment and collaboration with the judiciary in handling economic, financial crimes and related cases, noting that 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, stating that economic and financial crimes pose significant threats to national and global economies and must be tackled by all stakeholders.
On his part, the Senate President, 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, maintaining that the complexity of financial crimes requires constant tweaking of the laws.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, described the workshop as a crucial initiative in the Tinubu administration’s efforts to strengthen the fight against corruption, while Attorney-General Prince Lateef Fagbemi called for a multifaceted approach in tackling graft.
The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, acknowledged the challenges faced in high-profile investigations, reinforcing the importance of ongoing collaboration among stakeholders to realise the objectives of the anti-corruption campaign.
Furthermore, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), proposed the adoption of a multifaceted approach in the fight against graft in Nigeria, just as he welcomed the continued collaboration between the EFCC and the judiciary.
Also, in a goodwill message, the former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, said though the menace of corruption is not peculiar in Nigeria, the dimension of the crime across the country requires value reorientation among citizens and in key agencies of government.
