CJN Refers Judge who Issued Criminal Summons on Soludo to Disciplinary Committee

By Alex Enumah

In what may be considered as determined efforts to bring erring judicial officers to order, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, has reportedly ordered the Judicial Service Committee (JSC) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to commence disciplinary action against the Upper Area Court Judge who issued Direct Criminal Summons on a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.

The judge, whose name is being withheld, had recently issued the criminal charges against Soludo, who is also the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State, over alleged serial abuse of office and breach of Code of Conduct for public officers while in office between May 29, 2004 and May 29, 2009.

According to the summons, Soludo was to appear before the court and answer to charges bordering on perjury, corruption and false assets declaration which is completely outside the jurisdiction of the Upper Area Court.

Trial on criminal charges on false declaration of assets is exclusively vested in the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) but the Upper Area Court Judge assumed jurisdiction contrary to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

THISDAY learnt that “from all indications, the CJN seems determined to put an end to impunity and misconduct in the Judiciary”.

The CJN had met with the Chief Judges of FCT, Rivers, Kebbi, Cross Rivers, Jigawa, Anambra and Imo States and directed some of them to admonish the judges in their jurisdictions on the danger of granting ex parte injunctions.

The Acting Chief Judge of the FCT, Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf, who is the Chairman of the FCT Judicial Service Committee, is expected to submit his findings to the CJN within 21 days.