President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday decried the delay of criminal justice administration in Nigeria, stating it was sending out the wrong signals.
The President Buhari, who was speaking against the backdrop that the corruption cases on trial in courts are taking too long for final judgments, said the delay was marring the expectations of the public.
The President stated this in Abuja while declaring open a two-day workshop on the role of the judiciary in the fight against corruption.
“Critically important also is the sacred duty of the judiciary to ensure that criminal justice administration is not delayed. I am worried that the expectation of the public is yet to be met by the judiciary with regard to the removal of delay and the toleration of delay tactics by lawyers. When cases are not concluded the negative impression is given that crime pays.
“So far, the corruption cases filed by government are not progressing as speedily as they should in spite of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015, essentially because the courts allow some lawyers to frustrate the reforms introduced by law. This certainly needs to change if we are to make success in our collective effort in the fight against corruption.
“A well-functioning criminal justice system is imperative to address corruption effectively, as we seek to move our country towards greater growth and development,” he said.
The President further charged the judiciary to ensure that in carrying out its role in the fight against corruption, it should remain impartial and be seen to be impartial.
He said the judiciary must be aware of the sensitivities of the public and take steps towards avoiding even the tiniest shred of doubt as regards its independence. “In justice, integrity is a necessity,” he said, adding that “now, in carrying out its role in the fight against corruption, the judiciary must remain impartial and most importantly, be seen to be impartial… without acting in any way that would favour the interests of any of the parties.”
Speaking to a gathering of mostly judges, the President noted that as gatekeepers of the law, the judiciary must maintain its absolute independence and “Judges should hear and handle their assigned cases without any external pressure or influence, either by state powers or by their hierarchical superiors, stakeholders or economic interest groups. The Judiciary must take steps to ensure that it is not seen as being partisan… and as such judicial officers and all other members of this sector must always demonstrate manifest integrity.”
The President commended the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, the National Judicial Institute, the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime and the Commonwealth Secretariat for conceiving the workshop and making it happen.
He noted that the workshop was important and timely not only because far-reaching reforms of the judiciary remained one of the key priorities of this administration, but because it offered a unique opportunity to interact and agree on the basic tenets and guiding principles that would make the efforts in the fight against corruption acceptable to all right thinking people.
