The National Judicial Council (NJC) has appointed a former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, to head its 15-member Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee (COTRIMCO).
A statement signed on behalf of the NJC Secretary by the Director of Information, Mr Soji Oye, said the decision was taken on Wednesday at the 82nd meeting of the Council in Abuja.
The Committee, which will operate from the Council Secretariat, also consists of the President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), and some former presidents of the association.
They are Mr Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Mr Joseph Daudu (SAN) and Mr Augustine Alegeh (SAN).
The Committee also has as its members Justice Kashim Zannah (Chief Judge, Borno State), Justice P.O. Nnadi (Chief Judge, Imo State), Justice Marsahal Umukoro (Chief Judge, Delta State) and Justice M. L. Abimbola (Chief Judge, Oyo State).
Others are Gambo Saleh (Secretary NJC), Dr Garba Tetengi (SAN – NJC Member), and Mrs R.I Inga (NJC Member) as well as representatives from the Ministry of Justice among other organisations.
The primary functions of the Committee, according to the statement, are regular monitoring and evaluation of proceedings at designated courts for financial and economic crimes nationwide, and advising the Chief Justice of Nigeria (Justice Walter Onnoghen) on how to eliminate delay in the trial of alleged corruption cases.
Other functions include giving feedback to the NJC on the progress of cases in the designated courts, conducting background checks on judges selected for the designated courts, and evaluating the performance of the designated courts.
Consequently, Justice Onnoghen “directed all Heads of Courts to compile and forward to the Council, comprehensive lists of all corruption and financial crime cases being handled by their various courts.”
He also directed them to designate in their various jurisdictions one or more courts, as special courts solely for hearing and speedily determining corruption and financial crimes cases.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria and the Court of Appeal were equally directed to fix special date in each week for hearing and determining appeals from such cases.
The Committee is expected to drive the Council’s new policy on anti-corruption war.
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