The National Judicial Council (NJC) has barred publication of allegations of misconduct against judicial officers or employees of the judiciary in the media.
This is contained in the National Judicial Policy (NJP) and the Judicial Ethics Committee (JEC) launched yesterday in Abuja by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Mahmud Mohammed.
It reads in part, “It shall be the policy of the judiciary on complaints that allegations of misconduct against judicial officers or employees of the judiciary shall not be leaked or published in the media.
“Where complaints on allegations against judicial officers and court employees are submitted for investigation, the complainant or complainants shall be made to give an undertaking not to do anything to prejudice investigation or actions that may be taken.
“The institutions of the judiciary concerned with investigation or and implementation of decisions taken on such complaints shall be obliged to cease further action where such complaints are leaked or discussed in the media.
“Where such a leakage is occasioned after the submission of a complaint then all investigations on the complaints shall be suspended, the leakage investigated and if such leakage is from the complainant on through other parties known to such a complainant, such a complaint should be discarded.
“Where such leakage is occasioned prior to the presentation of the complaint and the source of the leakage is found to be the complainant or through other parties known to and connected with the complainant then such complaint shall not be accepted, upon submission by the appropriate disciplinary body.
“Upon the conclusion of any investigation, the judicial disciplinary bodies may allow public disclosure of their findings, subject to following the proper channels for such disclosure.”
Meanwhile, Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has insisted that the National Judicial Council has the power to suspend some judges currently under investigation over alleged corruption.
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