Posted by By GODWIN TSA, Abuja on
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Micheal Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN), said the Federal Government is now set to take actions on all pending court judgments against it, particularly in the area of settlement of judgment debts.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Micheal Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN), said the Federal Government is now set to take actions on all pending court judgments against it, particularly in the area of settlement of judgment debts.
Accordingly, the minister announced the immediate reinstatement of a dismissed high court judge, Justice Chrysantus Selong, to his duty post, following the judgment of a Federal High Court voiding his sack.
In addition, the Justice Minister disclosed to journalists that President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua approved the reinstatement about 24 hours after receipt of the court judgment.
It would be recalled that Justice Jonah Adah of a Federal High Court had in his judgment this week, voided Selong's dismissal from service and ordered his immediate reinstatement.
Aondoakaa said that already, a letter mandating the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Roseline Ukeje, to re-admit into the bench Justice Selong and assign cases to him to handle and a court had already been dispatched.
Justice Selong, it would be recalled, was dismissed in 2004, by the National Judicial Council (NJC) over allegations of bribery.
Specifically, he was accused of trying to bribe members of election petition tribunal to the benefit of a friend.
According to the minister, 'we have a judgment delivered on August 2, 2007 by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
'The parties in the case are Chrisantus Selong Vs National Judicial Council, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Federation Attorney-General and some members of the NJC.
'Upon receipt of the judgment, I drew the attention of the president to it and the conviction of the president is that rule of law must be complied with first before we can consider any further step.
'We are not foreclosing our right of appeal. We have the right of appeal within three months but our position is that an appeal does not constitute a stay."
Our right of appeal is not an excuse to disobey court order. Therefore, we are complying with the judgment but we may exercise our rights of appeal. We have accepted the judgment pending any other further step that we may later take about it.
'We are complying with the judgment with effect from today. The reason why we did not comply with the judgment before now is because we did not have an enrolled copy on time. That is why there was a delay of few days.
'We have inherited a lot of judgments. And as a government, we have directed the appropriate authorities and other agencies of government that have such to forward them to us including those involving monetary debts.
'We are looking into them. We are looking into ways of redressing them it is our desire to comply with the rule of laws and judgments validly given by the court of law.
'It is not good for agencies to go into contractual relationship when there is money to pay after execution. If there is no money for execution of contract, don't award. If you award and after execution, there is no money to pay, we will not accept it.
'When an agency of government exercises powers beyond what is given it by the statute, it is the Attorney-General that is sued. We are not saying agencies of government should not do their work but it should be done within the ambit of law. If we do things in conformity with the law, we will earn respect."