Anti-corruption: Ozekhome, PACAC, CACOL disagree over special courts

Constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has disagreed with submissions that the establishment of Special Courts will quicken anti-corruption trials in the country. Ozekhome, who was a panelist at the ongoing Fifth National Criminal Justice Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Asaba, Delta State, said the establishment of Special Courts without changing the government’s […]

Constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has disagreed with submissions that the establishment of Special Courts will quicken anti-corruption trials in the country.

Ozekhome, who was a panelist at the ongoing Fifth National Criminal Justice Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Asaba, Delta State, said the establishment of Special

Courts without changing the government’s anti-corruption strategy will not improve the anti-corruption fight.

Speaking on the topic: ‘Corruption, Economic and Financial Crimes: Special Courts to the Rescue’, he said the special courts will still follow the same procedure of plea taking, evidence tendering, among others, which delays trials.

Ozekhome spoke after the representative of the Executive Secretary of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof Bolaji Owasonoye, Dr Oziri Azi, listed the moves towards the establishment of Special Courts for corruption cases, including a Bill before the National Assembly.

Ozekhome said Nigerians will believe the Federal Government’s anti-corruption war when indicted members of the government are charged, and not just the opposition figures, while challenging government to publicly declare the ‘loot’ purportedly recovered to disprove insinuations that they are being “re-looted.”

Also, the Executive Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), Debo Adeniran said he is disagreeing with Ozekhome. He said corruption is on the rise because all regulatory agencies are not charged with responsiblity to enforce anti-corruption laws.

“Corruption agencies should go beyond EFCC and ICPC. Every regulatory agency should be classified as anti-corruption agency,” he said.

However, Dr Garba Tetengi, also a discussant in the panel chaired by former justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Suleiman Galadima, raised several questions which border on the functionality of the new court where the existing courts have not been well utilised.