Itse Sagay, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has
said the judiciary is not on board with the federal
government’s fight against corruption.

The chairman of the presidential advisory committee
against corruption (PACAC) on Wednesday criticised
the decision of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to
recall the judges being investigated for corruption.

Speaking at a three-day conference on ‘Promoting
International Cooperation in Combating Illicit Financial
Flows and Enhancing Asset Recovery to Foster
Sustainable Development’, he said the decision of the
NJC may “undermine the integrity of the state”.

He described it as a dangerous precedent that may
affect Nigeria’s future, owing to the importance of the
judges in the affairs of the country.

“This decision by the NJC that judges who were
arrested, and those who are on trial like Ademola,
whose case is a life case, and others who have not
been charged, but are going to be charged, calling
them back is for me a sign of hostility to the fight
against corruption,” he said.

“We cannot afford the judicial hierarchy to engage in
espirit de corps with members of their group that are
falling in the corruption struggle.

“They must join the executive whose mantra is total or
near elimination of corruption for the sake of the
survival of this country. Judges have a duty to join in
this determination.

“So, that sort of decision that was taken gives the
impression that they are hostile to the struggle. That’s
one reason why I said they’re not on board.

“The judiciary, in my view, is the highest of the three
arms of government. They are the only ones who
adjudicate the disagreement between the other two. If
you look at the set-up of the court they sit high above
others and everybody is looking up at them.

“The rest of us apply, move, plead and they decide,
and there’s no democracy about their decision. Their
decision is binding. Calling them my lord is not an
accident. After God, members of that group are the
smaller lords.

“The judge who is guilty of corruption is almost guilty
of a crime against humanity, because what he is doing
is to undermine the whole integrity of the state. It
means that when we have a major issue that can
affect the future of the country, we can’t go to him,
because he’s dishonest, he lacks integrity and is
fraudulent and will not decide the case according to
the justice of it.”

TheCable