Orders immediate disciplinary action
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Tanko Muhammad has ordered the Judicial Service Committee (JSC) of the Federal Capital Territory FCT to immediately initiate disciplinary action against the Upper Area Court Judge that issued direct Criminal Summons against Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The judge had issued the criminal charges against the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA, Anambra State over alleged serial abuse of office and breach of Code of Conduct for public officers when he was the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria between 29 May 2004 – 29 May 2009
The Upper Area Court had on 23 August 2021 issued a direct criminal summons against Soludo over 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.
FCT Judicial Service Committee billed to discipline the Judge is under the Chairmanship of the Acting Chief Judge, Hussein Baba Yusuf.
A top source told our correspondent that “from all indications, the CJN seems determined to put an end to impunity and misconduct in the Judiciary”.
It would be recalled that the CJN had met with the Chief Judges of FCT, Rivers, Kebbi, Cross Rivers, Jigawa, Anambra and Imo States on Monday 6 September 2021 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 is expected to submit his findings to the CJN within 21 days.
The Upper Area Court Zuba in Abuja had issued a criminal summons against Soludo over a criminal complaint brought before it by one Oliver Bitrus.
Bitrus had alleged between the period the defendant held office as a Public Officer he flagrantly breached the Code of Conduct for public officers by buying or acquiring interest in a property, No. 50 Brondesbury Park, London, NW6 7AT, in the United Kingdom.
He also alleged that the property was acquired using a proxy known as Universal Energy Company Limited and that the purchase price £2,150,000 was paid in a single tranche on October 20, 2006 which was not fairly attributable to his income as the Governor of CBN at the material time.
