As part of efforts aimed at fast-tracking corruption cases, there are plans to designate 12 new judges to handle such situations in the federal capital territory, FCT.
The Chief Judge of the High Court of the FCT, Justice Ishaq Bello, who disclosed this said the 12 new judges would be picked among the 32 judges that will be coming on board soon.
According to a statement posted on the website of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ICPC, Justice Bello disclosed the plan at a meeting with the commission’s Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye.
FCT
According to the statement, the Chief Judge said, “I will dedicate 12 judges out of the 32 new judges that are coming on board mainly for the adjudication of corruption cases.
“This, I believe, will help with the quick prosecution of corruption cases coming before the court.”
The Chief Judge, however, asked the ICPC to conduct training for the incoming judges to familiarise them with happenings around the anti-corruption world.
“We need immediate training, particularly in the area of forfeiture, which is crucial to the nation,” he said.
Earlier, Owasanoye had complained that some processes such as difficulty in obtaining court and banker’s orders were frustrating the work of the ICPC.
The ICPC boss also lamented that it sometimes took up to six months for a filed case to be assigned to a judge.
