SAN FRANCISCO, September 20, (THEWILL) –Â The Acting Chief Judge of Cross River State, Justice Michael Edem, has introduced secret agents to monitor activities of judges, magistrates, and judicial officers in order to tackle corrupt practices in the bench.
Edem disclosed this on Wednesday, in Calabar, during his inaugural remarks to mark the commencement of the 2017/2018 legal year.
He revealed that customary courts in the state have not sat since 2015 following the expiration of the tenure of the presidents and members, owing to the absence of the Judicial Service Commission.
He however, stated that with the recent constitution of the commission, the customary courts would be reconstituted shortly.
“The prying eyes of the public are on us all because if one finger of any hand of the judiciary is soiled by oil, the oil shall spread and pollute the entire body,” he said.
“The judiciary would not be a collective victim of an individual malfeasance and I will let go the axe ruthlessly on anyone who does that.
“To this end, I have set up a secret monitoring agency to spy and report to me all acts of corruption, no matter how slight.
“If for any reason a judge or a magistrate would not sit for two days, he must seek and have my permission. Beyond that, a cogent cause would become a deliberate cause which cannot be tolerated.”
In his remarks, the state Governor, Prof Ben Ayade, commended the warm relationship between the judiciary and the executive in the state.
