The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, on Tuesday said the judiciary was still waiting on the Executive arm of government to establish special courts that will try corruption cases.
He said it was not the responsibility of the judiciary to establish the special courts.
Onnoghen said this in an interview with State House correspondents after a closed doors’ meeting he had with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“It is the Executive in conjunction with the Legislature that has the prerogatives of setting up courts, including the special courts, under our Constitution and not the Judiciary.
“Once the Executive sets up such courts, the Judiciary will run on it by providing the manpower,” the CJN said.
Onnoghen said there was no truth in the claims that the Judiciary is not on the same page with the Executive on the fight against corruption.
“We are on the same page with the Executive. There are three arms of government and these three arms constitute the government. The government is not only the Executive,” he explained.
The CJN gave judges a pass mark as far as their performances are concerned “under the circumstances.”
He said he decided to set up the Committee for the Prevention of Corruption because of the buck passing that has been going on.
He said, “All along, everybody is passing buck. The prosecution will say it is not our responsibility, we are not the cause of the delay. The investigator will say l am not the cause, the Judge will say, l am not the cause.
“So, the people must know who is the cause of the delay.
“That is why l set up that committee made up of the defence counsel, the prosecutor and the Judiciary under the NJC.”
The CJN also said it was wrong to heap the blame of the delay in dispensation of justice on judges alone.
PUNCH
