Presidential c’ttee wants indicted judges suspended

The Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) has called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to suspend judges indicted of corruption while they are on trial.

Executive Secretary of the Committee, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye made the call yesterday during an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja.

He noted that Judges suspected of complicity in financial crimes should not preside over cases in court, adding that the honourable thing to do is for the NJC to give the Judges the opportunity to defend themselves.

Owasanoye said: “The reason is because all over the world, if a Judge is appearing before another court on criminal charges, all cases before him should be shut.”

In his comment on the matter, Chairman of the committee, Professor Itse Sagey said “Any judge who is corrupt is committing a crime against humanity. He destroys our confidence on the State; it encourages people to resort to self-help.”

He said those who had criticized the Department of State Services (DSS) did not look at the implication of judicial corruption; “if an issue comes up, the judge is the ultimate.”

Sagey pointed out that: “There are some governors who did not win election, yet judges gave vent to that. If the judiciary is corrupt, it is the only body that has the power of life and death over Nigerians.” DSS grills 2 indicted judges The Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday further interrogated two of the five judges recently arrested over alleged corruption.

The DSS hosted Justices Mu’azu Pindiga and Nnamdi Dimgba of the High Court, Gombe and Federal High Court in Abuja respectively over the ongoing investigation into allegations of gross misconduct and corruption against the judges.