Determined to cleanse the Nigerian judiciary of corruption, not less than 27 judges are under probe by the National Judicial Council, NJC. Bank accounts will be checked by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Hon Justice Mariam Aloma Muktar in conjunction with the Economic and Financial Crimes commission, EFCC, as well as ICPC.
A Highly placed EFCC source told Nigerian pilot that the moved is to cleanse the judiciary of corruption.
According to the source, a judge is not suppose to operate not more than one account were his salary is paid to.
The source further added that the CJN has decided to take the bold step based on the mind boggling petitions written against judges alleging that Billions of Naira were been paid to them in other to buy judgments most especially during election petitions.
He said the Financial Intelligent Unit of the EFCC will furnish the details of the findings to the CJN as soon as the exercise commence.
Justice Muktar had said that the ongoing war to rid the judiciary of bad eggs is not only targeted at Judges and other judicial officers alone but on staff of the judiciary that indulge in unwholesome acts capable of bringing disrepute to the profession before the public.
Justice Muktar stated this in her keynote address at a 3-day national workshop organised by the National Judicial Institute for judicial librarians across the country.
“Let me quickly add that the fight against corruption in the judiciary is not only targeted at the judicial officers but also against any staff of the judiciary who finds luxury or convenience in engaging in corrupt practices or engaged in any other unwholesome conduct” Justice Mukhtar warned.
The CJN had reminded the participants as judicial staff; they are bound by the code of conducts for court employees, and therefore harped on the need for them not to go against the ethics of the judicial system.
“If any of you compromises himself or contravenes the code of conduct, he or she will face the full consequences of his or her action” she added.
However, she assured that any judicial staff that works hard and conducts himself well, would be rewarded but “deviant, fraudulent and indolent ones may become irrelevant in our drive for a virile judicial system” Justice Mukhtar said.