Tribune
A major budget spending scandal is brewing in the judiciary as four major institutions of government have delivered a damning verdict on the sector’s alleged lack of transparency and accountability in the usage of public funds.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Budget Office and House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary have all condemned the alleged opaque nature of budgetary allocation administration in the judiciary.
The National Judicial Council (NJC) which disburses judiciary budgetary allocation has maintained a studied silence in the face of executive and legislative attacks. Nigerian Tribune has learned of the indictment of some leaders of the bench, especially at the state level.
At various times, the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation has indicted senior members of the bench and about three Chief Judges (domains withheld) were close to losing their jobs, but saved by strategic interventions.
While NJC pays salaries and allowances of judges, state governors finance capital expenditures.
Though the chief registrars are the accounting officers of courts, the chief judges, must sign in on spending.
A similar scenario exists at the federal level where the CJN superintends over accounting officers like the chief registrar of the Supreme Court, Secretary National Judicial Council (NJI), Secretary, Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) and administrator of the National Judicial Institute (NJI).
Though Malami was not specific in his public accusation of the judiciary being scandalous and unaccountable, NJC Secretary, Ahmed Gambo Saleh, who was present at the event where the minister made his accusation, has been at the forefront of increase in the judiciary’s budgetary allocation.
The damning verdicts were delivered on the judiciary at the Justice Sector Summit 2022, of the Nigerian Bar Association, in Abuja, last Tuesday.
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