Registrar: Lagos State Judiciary does not Encourage Patronage of Touts, Professional Sureties

The Lagos State Judiciary has said it has never, and will never, in any way, encourage the patronage of touts and/ or professional sureties.

The Chief Registrar of the High Court of Lagos State, Mrs. D.T Olatokun, said this in a statement issued last weekend, to refute an online article published by Gavel International titled “Inside the Booming Business of Professional Suretying; Document Racketeering in Lagos Courts”.

Olatokun said, “there is zero tolerance for corruption in the Lagos State Judiciary, but we need the cooperation of the court users to resist illegal demands, and promptly and boldly report corrupt staff”.

“This rejoinder will focus on the publication and statements touching on the Lagos State Judiciary, and, in particular, the Office of the Chief Registrar. The Chief Registrar rejects all the allegations contained in the publication which are nothing but falsehoods, misconception, and a figment of the imagination of the writer of the article.

“We make bold to say that, this writer's experience, does not in any way encapsulate what transpires in the Lagos State Judiciary.

“A point to note which confirms that the writer is simply trying to be mischievous, is the failure to mention the period the incident in the Chief Registrar’s office took place, and the identity of the staff who engaged the services of the touts, who agreed to stand as sureties for the named Defendant.

“The period is very fundamental, because holders of the office of the Chief Registrar and Support Staff regularly change from time to time. It is therefore, difficult to determine who the holder of the office was at the time the alleged incident took place, as it would also be difficult to carry out any meaningful investigation into the matter of the Staff who gave a three-week appointment, before sureties could be interviewed by

the Chief Registrar.

“On the issue of racketeering, it is to be noted that, the Lagos State Judiciary regularly constitutes a Personnel Management Board (P. M. B), where complaints against Members of Staff are investigated, and those found wanting are kicked out of the system, or made to face one disciplinary action or the other.

“This serves as proof that the Lagos State Judiciary does not, in any way, encourage the patronage of touts and/or professional sureties. Members of the public are advised to make use of the Public Complaints Boxes which are placed in different strategic points at the High Court and Magistrate Court premises, with assurance that all complaints will be treated, but may require details of the case and the proof of any allegation made against any Member of Staff. More importantly, petitions in respect of allegations against staff can be forwarded to the Honourable Chief Judge of Lagos State.

“It was also alleged in the write up, that a security fee for bail is paid into an account opened in the name of the Chief Registrar, and that the said fee, which is meant to be refundable to the Surety is hardly ever refunded. We wish to inform the general public and litigants, that the Court is a creation of Law with Practice and Procedure stipulated by Law and the Rules of Court.

“By Law, a court may require the deposit of money or any other security, before bail is approved. The Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, makes it mandatory for such security for bail ordered by the Court to be paid into the Chief Registrar’s account, which is refunded at the conclusion of trial, upon a written application to the Chief Registrar.

“In the instant case, the writer did not indicate if he ever made a formal request for refund. He merely insinuated that security funds paid, are not refunded. This is misleading, and does not represent the true position. The evidence of such refunds made in the past, to members of the public at their request (in writing), can be verified in the office of the Chief Registrar.

“Thus, it is our humble conclusion that, the writer's aim is to mislead the public to believe that the administrators of the justice system in Lagos State, do not uphold the highest standards of practice, which is far from being the truth. We would however, need to state that all conditions of bail must be fulfilled, before sureties are approved. Where there is part compliance, and, in the instance stated by the writer, where the court orders that both the residential and office addresses of a surety be verified, and only the residence or the office is verified, the surety will not be approved.

“We assure the writer that, this complaint will be investigated if a written petition is forwarded to the Honourable Chief Judge, as this is the best way to deal with complaints”, she stated.