- SAN applicants found to have forged documents should be expeditiously tried
When a man who is trained to weigh every word he utters decides to speak out loud about a menace, he deserves full attention. As Supreme Court Justices and the law lords in Nigeria filed out to mark the 2018 Legal Year, the man on the dais, Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) made no mistake in calling attention to a serious problem that could tarnish the image of the judiciary if not checked on time. He disclosed that some lawyers desperate to be admitted into the inner Bar as Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) had been caught doing the unthinkable – altering court documents with a view to receiving favourable consideration.
It is a classical example of a circumstance when it could be said, “if gold rusts, what would iron do.” The SANs are considered great legal minds who have attained a great height in the profession. They are expected to have displayed their brilliance in advocacy, knowledge of the law and decorum over a period not less than a decade and appeared before their lordships up to the Supreme Court. Many are qualified in meeting the basic criteria, but few are chosen every year. The silk wig they wear, the privilege of having their cases accorded priority attention and the huge fees they are licensed to charge are not lost on other lawyers who cannot wait to make the mark.
It is, however, unbelievable that such desperation could push some of these men and women otherwise regarded as honourable to forge court papers even in this season when forgery has become commonplace. As Justice Onnoghen has promised, we call on all concerned to grant the cases uncommon attention. This is one case when the wheel of justice must not be allowed to grind too slowly.
The investigation authorities should realise that all eyes are on the judiciary and the bar to see how the matter would be handled. When justices were hauled before courts by the security agencies, many were up in arms that the dignity of a hallowed arm of government was being unduly dragged in the mud. Many of such cases, some involving serving justices of the Supreme Court, have since been struck off on technical grounds. In other cases, based on petitions, the National Judicial Council (NJC) found it convenient to quietly ease out corrupt justices. This is an opportunity for the judiciary to show it could live above board.
The Attorney General of the Federation owes the bar and the general public a duty to show that crime, when it involves prominent lawyers, is not compromised. Earlier in the year, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria was jailed, having been found guilty of failing the society. This is the way to go. There are others who, perhaps influenced by filthy lucre, placed the interest of their clients above the national interest. When lawyers and judges begin to live by example, other members of the society will realise the need to walk within bounds.
We call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria as chairman of the NJC, the Federal Judicial Service Commission and Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee to initiate wide-ranging reforms that would restore the honour and integrity of all involved with the judiciary. Those saddled with the task of training and mentoring new and young lawyers should emphasise that they are officers of the temple of justice and should, therefore, live up to expectation at all times. Those found to have tampered with the law of the land or ethics of the profession deserve to be visited with severe sanctions.
It is often said that the courts are the last hope of the common man. Urgent steps ought, therefore, to be taken to restore the hope of the public in the institution.
Only the best should be allowed a place on the bench or the inner bar. Details of the infractions and crimes the CJN alluded to should be made public after due investigations and diligent prosecution instituted. Neither the bar nor the bench should be turned into a safe place for criminals.
