Fat Envelopes for Judgements: Gadzama, SAN Demands Names, Evidence Over NBA President’s Corruption Claim
A Life Bencher and former Chairman of the Body of Benchers Mentoring Committee, Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, SAN, has challenged the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, to back up his allegations of judicial corruption with concrete details and names.
Reacting to Osigwe’s claim that many court judgments are influenced by the “fatness of envelopes” rather than evidence, Gadzama said that while the NBA President is entitled to express concern about corruption in the judiciary, such grave allegations must be accompanied by actionable facts.
Speaking in an interview with Vanguard, the senior advocate stated that mere general accusations were insufficient and potentially damaging to the reputation of diligent and upright judicial officers.
According to him, Osigwe ought to have gone further to disclose specific corrupt transactions, identify the judicial officers and accomplices involved, and take deliberate steps to ensure investigation and prosecution.
Gadzama warned that anything short of this would amount to a spurious allegation capable of undermining public confidence in the judiciary and unfairly maligning innocent judges who have worked hard to preserve the integrity of the justice system.
