• Probed judges know fate soon
THE Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, has threatened to wield the big stick against lazy and unproductive judges, saying the National Judicial Council (NJC) would now use its Performance Evaluation Reports to dismiss such judges.
According to her, the NJC would no longer restrict its sanctions to only matters relating to allegations of corruption or sundry misconducts.
It was learnt that the NJC may convene an emergency meeting this week to decide the fate of 20 judges whom it investigated over allegations of corruption, misconduct and sundry charges following petitions brought against them.
Speaking at the weekend while receiving “Nigeria’s Judicial Performance Evaluation 2008- 2011’’ compiled in seven volumes by the Nigerian Institute of Advance Legal Studies (NIALS) in her chambers in Abuja, Justice Mukhtar said “it is highly absurd to observe that some judges can’t even deliver up to two judgments in a quarter.
“We are now thinking of looking at the performance evaluation of the judges for the purpose of discipline. If a judge cannot deliver three to four judgments in a year, there is no use keeping him on the Bench other than to be shown his or her way out.’’
The CJN said she didn’t know how bad the situation was until she directed all judges to seek permission through their heads of courts before travelling abroad. “The Nigerian Bar Association has also been complaining about the attitude of judges to work these days. Many will leave their work and travel for days abroad. This is why I insisted they must obtain approval before travelling abroad. Until this directive, I never thought things were all that bad, because some of the judges will be seeking permission to travel abroad while the courts are in session, despite the six weeks holiday they are entitled to in a year’’.
Mukhtar emphasised punctuality of judges, stating that they are expected to commence with the court proceeding by 9 a.m., but there were instances where many of them do not resume work until 11 a.m. or 12 noon while the litigants, their witnesses and lawyers keep waiting in the courts.
“These are part of the reasons the NJC undertakes performance evaluation from time to time, both at the trial and appellate courts, to determine productivity of the judges and their courts in the states and the Federal Capital Territory. The Supreme Court is not exempted. The NIALS’ performance evaluation could not have come at a better time because it will go a long way to complement the ones carried out by NJC performance evaluation committee,’’ she said.
While presenting the Performance Evaluation Report, the Project Director who doubles as the head of NIALS, Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN), said the work will go a long way to complement the CJN’s present drive to cleanse the judiciary.
Meanwhile, a source said the NJC may this week decide the fate of the 20 judges. Those under investigation include four state chief judges, some justices of the Court of Appeal and judges of the Federal and State High Courts.
Depending on the gravity of the offences established against them, the sanctions range from definite or indefinite suspension without pay and compulsory retirement to outright dismissal.
The NJC is headed by the CJN, a jurist reputed for her “no-nonsense posture and zero tolerance for corruption who has since assuming the exalted office not minced words about her readiness to rid the Bench of bad eggs.
Allegations against the 20 judges include judgment fixing, unethical romance with litigants, outright sale of judgments, graft and bribery and engaging in delivery of questionable verdicts.
Some of them are also said to have entertained matters beyond their jurisdiction, contradicted their rulings or judgments on similar matters, dismissed cases without taking pleas, sold electoral petitions to the highest bidders and dismissed cases even when there were merits in the applications before them. A few other judges are also being accused of peddling influence among politicians to secure judicial positions.
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