Dispensation Of Justice: AGF Retract on Blaming of Judiciary for Delays in High-Profile Corruption Cases
Attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has said President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government respects the doctrine of separation of powers among the three independent and separate arms of government.
Malami, through his media aide, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, said the federal government maintains the sanctity of the provisions of Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which delineates the roles and responsibilities of the executives, legislature and judiciary.
He said it was on this note that the federal government supported the review of Section 121(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to accommodate the provisions for financial autonomy of the state legislature and judiciary.
In addition to the constitutional provisions, Malami said the federal government also came up with the Executive Order 10 to enforce the provision of autonomy of State Legislature and Judiciary.
Malami said, ”it is on record that the Buhari-led federal government has a record of non-interference with or meddling into the affairs of the legislature and judiciary.
”It was within the context of this quality and feature of non-interference by the Buhari-led government and for the avoidance of sub-judice that the minister responded that high-profile cases were presented by the Federal Government for prosecution and the government came out with initiatives in its efforts to support speedy determination of justice.”
He expressed dismay over the way his response to a question in a recent interview was construed to evoke an unintended and non-existing inferences which some mischief makers projected him as blaming the judiciary.
“It was an innocent statement aimed at showing an re-enactment of a tripartite division of powers and responsibilities among the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary,” he said.
