An Abuja based Legal Practitioner, Mr. Sanni Abass has described as unsubstantiated, the publication of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) that in 3 years, a whopping sum of N9.4bn was given out as bribes to Judges by Lawyers.

The Lawyer noted that the allegation is unsubstantiated with evidence and points out to the fact that the Commission is not doing its job properly.

He said, “I read the headline of a statement credited to the Independent corrupt practices and other related offence commission (Herein referred to as the Commission) with so much delight with hope that when I read the full statement I would be convince and super delighted that the agency is performing its lawful function.

“I was super delighted by the caption of the statement not until I cautioned myself to further read the content of the publication.

“Upon reading through the statement issued by the agency, I was utterly disappointed as the statement does not disclose any reasonable facts capable or worth believing, the statement can be best described as a beer parlor discussion aimed as weeping the sentiments of the public to show either that the commission is working or to show that the commission still exist.”

Furthermore, he stated that the Commission has not been able to disclose the relevant details than making a general allegation, noting that the “statement further goes to confirm that the commission know about the existence of some lawyers corrupting judge and has failed to carry out her primary function of investigation and also possible charging such person to a law court rather the commission decided to issue out a statement that does not disclose:

1. The name of the lawyers corrupting judges.
2. The judges being bribed by lawyers
3. The lawyers and Judges that have been investigated and charged to court.
4. The lawyers and judges that have been convicted.”

“It is only when the statement of the commission contains these facts then the public can now go back and commend the commission but the act of issuing a worthless and empty statement shows that the commission has failed in carrying out the duty vested in the commission by the act establishing the commission and has resorted to mere hearsay and such cannot be relied upon”, he added.

However, he said the Commission can at best be said to have brought the Legal Profession to a state of ridicule because the publication has painted the profession black.

He said “the commission has also rendered the entire members of the Nigerian Bar Association as being corrupt, the members of the bench as being corrupt and the entire judicial system as being corrupt without placing on record one single lawyer or a judge whose account has been investigated and found culpable”, further adding that in the absence of the above facts, “then the commission has failed whoofly in properly carrying out its primary function and had resorted to cheap blackmail.”

Finally, he has called on the CJN, AGF and NBA President to immediately demand a withdrawal of the publication.

“I hereby urge the president of the Nigeria Bar Association, the Honorable Attorney General & the Chief Justice of Nigeria to call the commission to order and also demand for the immediate withdrawal of the statement issued by the commission as same is highly insulting and highly derogatory to our noble profession”, he concluded.