FG Charges Supreme Court Officials To Court

The federal government has moved to tighten the screws around corruption in the judiciary, with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) filing a nine-count charge against the outgoing Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Mr. Gambo Saleh, for allegedly diverting N2.2 billion.

Saleh has just been confirmed by the National Judicial Council (NJC) to take over as the secretary of the council, effective July 2017.

In the charge sheet filed by the ICPC at the Abuja High Court, Saleh has been charged alongside the Director of Finance of the Supreme Court, Mr. Muhammed Sharif, and one Rilwanu Lawal also of the Finance Department.

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This came just as the NJC finally bowed to pressure, saying yesterday that it would no longer allow judicial officers under investigation for corruption to perform judicial functions.

Saleh, Sharif and Lawal were also accused by the federal government of obtaining gratification in the sum of N74.4 million.

The charge sheet was dated November 3, 2016 and was filed on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) by the ICPC.

They were accused of illegally diverting the sum of N2.2 billion into a private account in the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc.

The offences were said to have been committed between 2009 and 2016.

The charge sheet was signed by Mr. Hajara H. Yusuf, Principal State Counsel in the Office of the AGF.

Saleh was appointed the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court on November 24, 2014 by the incumbent Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed.

At the just concluded NJC meeting, he was appointed secretary of the council. However, his new appointment will come into effect by July next year, before which he will understudy the incumbent secretary of the council, Danladi Halilu, who will be attaining the retirement age of 60.