By Nkechi Eze
As part of fostering more synergy between lawyers and Anti-graft agencies, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has cautioned members of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) against filing baseless petitions against anti-corruption agencies and judges during legal proceedings.
The ICPC Chairman, issued the warning on Monday during a meeting with the Chairman and members of the National Litigation Committee (NLT) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja.
“writing unnecessary petitions against officers of the Commission and Judges without concrete justification is not proper, as we are all colleagues and partners in the fight against corruption”, he said.
Dr. Musa further added that appropriate professional measures should be explored in resolving issues arising between lawyers and anti-corruption officers in the course of investigations and litigations.
The Chairman pointed out that, writing frivolous petitions against Judges and officers involved in the fight against corruption does not help matters, noting that it does not encourage those who are working so hard to rid Nigeria of corruption.
“I assure you that in ICPC, there is no harassment of lawyers. We ensure that the rights of lawyers are protected, so also the rights of our officers in the cause of their duties” he said.
He however, advised the NBA not to hesitate to draw the attention of the Commission whenever there are concerns, as ICPC is committed to looking into such issues objectively and addressing them accordingly.
“We at ICPC, we try our best to see that we protect the rights of suspects and their lawyers. Since I came in here as the Chairman, I have not received any complaint of lawyers being harassed by the officers of the Commission”
“The ICPC encourages mutual, professional respect and understanding in line with the law. I call on the lawyers to extend the same courtesy to the officers whenever they have anything to do with the Commission” he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Barr. Vincent Otaokpokpu, informed the Honourable Chairman that they were at the Commission’s Headquarters to brief him on the responsibilities of the Committee as contained in their Terms of Reference issued by the NBA.
He told his host that the Committee was the first to be inaugurated by the current leadership of the NBA to protect the rights of the lawyers while doing their jobs, adding that ICPC in its fight against corruption will have causes to interface with lawyers hence, they considered the Commission a critical partner in ensuring that the rights of their members are protected.
Mr. Otaokpokpu stated that “the committee was inaugurated and charged with the responsibilities of advocating for the rights of lawyers, assist in the promotion of interest of lawyers, assist in the defense of lawyers who are subjected to one form of humiliation, harassment or the other by law enforcement agents”.
He told the Honourable Chairman that the Committee seeks to collaborate with the Commission on how to join forces against corruption, while protecting the interest and rights of their members.
He however, noted that the Committee was not unaware of the challenges ICPC might be facing in terms of relating with the lawyers of corruption suspects, as some of them may tend to be over zealous in trying to defend their clients.
The Committee then pledged to assist in educating lawyers on how they can better protect the integrity of the Bar and promote the Rule of Law, revealing that the Committee was ready to collaborate with the ICPC even in litigation matters.
The ICPC Chairman urged lawyers to take anti-money laundering issues seriously, as outlined in the NBA’s professional guidelines.
