FG uncovers corruption in judiciary •N106bn traced to judgment procurement •Judges own luxury houses in UK, UAE, S/Africa

THE presidency appears to be in a dilemma as to the nature of its intervention in the judicial arm of government, following the submission of a secret report
which indicted a number of judicial officers of monumental corruption.
Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune confirmed that the government is in possession of the document which detailed lots of underhand dealings in the judiciary.
It was confirmed that unethical practices, such as judgment procurement and actual instances of corruption were probed by the secret committee.
According to investigations, the report, which detailed incidents in the judiciary from 2006 to 2011, confirmed that a number of judges have been named as “living above their legal means.”
It was further confirmed that a number of judicial officers were linked to what was termed “judgment procurement,” which was said to have gulped about N106 billion in recent years.
“The bulk of that sum has been salted away in foreign lands to procure properties in the name of fake companies, fake children, schools and fake associates,” a source privy to the document quoted the submission.
“The last has not been heard of the development in the judiciary, as far as corruption is concerned. A report in the hands of the state has confirmed that some properties were bought globally, especially in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), South Africa and London. Some of the real owners are judicial personnel, whose total emoluments cannot in anyway justify the purchases.
“Some of them have been found to send their children to some of the most expensive schools in the world, without taking loans. These are mind-boggling discoveries,” the source said.
A source said that the government was worried that a sacred arm of government was being desecrated by certain forces and that some of those making the loudest noise about the situation in the judiciary were “mere poster images of corruption.”
Though the source said that the government was working to ensure that its actions in the judiciary were not misconstrued as political moves, it was learnt that a decision had been taken to ensure that the guilty did not go unpunished.
“The comprehensive report detailing the rot in the judiciary is in the hands of the highest authorities. I can confirm to you that those mentioned in the report as having been linked to improper conduct cannot go unpunished. The offences vary from judgment procurement to undue influence on judges. It dates back to the Obasanjo/Atiku era,” the source said.
“It has become so embarrassing to the government that judgments of Nigeria, which were readily cited in the United Kingdom and other lands are no longer regarded. Law students outside the country no longer see the judgments from Nigeria as worth the paper on which they are written. It is a battle the government must fight to ensure a proper demarcation between politics and the judiciary,” the source said.