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| Justice Ayo Salami (rtd) |
He is believed to have been convinced that
the committee may not work as “efficiently expected” because of the businesses
of some members.
Justice Salami was named the chair of
COTRIMCO, which was set up by the National Judicial Council (NJC,) on September
27 by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
The appointment was based on the decision of
the NJC at its 82nd meeting in Abuja.
Justice Salami is said to be uncomfortable
with the composition of the 15-man committee.
The panel is said to include some members who
had been implicated in some conflicting challenges between the bench and the
bar.
Although, Salami was out of the country when
he was appointed, he sought audience with the CJN upon his return.
It was learnt that after discussing his
reservations with the CJN, he wrote to reject the appointment.
A Supreme Court sources confirmed that
Justice Salami had “thrown in the towel”.
The source, who spoke in confidence, said the
CJN might have to brief members of the NJC to search for another credible
chairman.
Justice Salami is said to have consulted
widely with leaders on the Bench and in the Bar before resolving with his
family to reject the offer.
A source said: “I think Salami felt that a
few members of the committee had been entrenched in the intrigues in the
nation’s Judiciary.
“He believes that as the chairman of the
committee, he will not have the authority to keep those members in check.
“So, instead of creating unnecessary problem
for himself without any place to run to, he opted to stay away from the committee.
“In fact, while he was still being asked by
colleagues to give the appointment a chance, there was controversy over the
reinstatement of a former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension
Reforms Task Team, Mr. Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina. Salami just said he won’t
accept this offer.
“He, however, took time to meet with the CJN
personally to thank him for the honour and why he cannot accept the job. He
made it known that he had no grudges against the CJN.”
But another source said: “None of the 15 members
of the committee has been indicted in any way. The CJN was meticulous in
composing the committee. Even where there were imputations, some members of the
committee came out clearly to clarify a few things.
“Being a committee of the NJC, there is no way
the CJN will allow any member of the committee to either undermine Justice
Salami or the mandate of the panel.
“If His Lordship, Justice Salami, has chosen
to reject the appointment, the CJN will certainly look for a meritorious legal
giant like him.”
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability
Project (SERAP) on October 3 wrote the CJN seeking the removal of members of
the bar from the panel.
In the letter signed by SERAP Executive
Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organisation said the composition of the
committee was not in consonance with the advisory of the UN Special Rapporteur
on the independence of judges and lawyers.
The letter said: “SERAP urges your Lordship
to urgently revisit, review, and reconsider the membership of the Salami
committee to ensure that members currently handling high-profile corruption
cases involving PEPs are removed.
“This proposal aims solely to remove the risk
of apparent and potential conflicts between the work of the committee and the
private practice of some of its members who are handling high-profile cases of
corruption involving PEPs and to ensure the independence, impartiality,
integrity and accountability of the judiciary.
“SERAP believes that judicial accountability
should be secured in a way that is harmonious with, and not damaging to, the
essential character and functions of the judicial office. A system of fair,
effective and trustworthy judicial performance evaluation promotes public
confidence in the judiciary, which, in turn, is essential to judicial independence.
“SERAP also urges your Lordship to ensure
that the Salami committee can manage its own budget and has enough human and
financial resources to properly function with independence. The Salami
committee should also be accountable for its activities, to avoid the possible
public perception of bias and conflict of interest.”
The Committee’s primary functions are:
·
regular monitoring and evaluation of
proceedings at designated courts for financial and economic crimes nationwide;
·
advising the Chief Justice of Nigeria on how
to eliminate delay in the trial of alleged corruption cases;
·
giving feedback to the Council on progress of
cases in the designated courts, conduct background checks on judges selected
for the designated courts; and
·
evaluating the performance of the designated
courts.
