The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has reacted to the allegation made by the Kano Election Petition Tribunal Chairman, Judge Flora Azinge, that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) attempted to bribe her with N10 billion.
According to NBA, the allegation will be investigated, and sanction will be taken if proven.
Recall that Azinge announced in an open court on Tuesday, “A Senior Advocate of Nigeria who has a pending case before me is attempting to bribe me. Money has been flying in this tribunal since yesterday. Whoever collects money on my behalf, God will punish that person and his generation yet unborn – to the fourth generation.
“They keep abusing judges, insulting us every day in the papers, in the media – that we are taking bribes.… Let me repeat again that nobody should approach me with money again. I’m contented with what God has given me, and I have a roof over my head.”
Arinze later clarified her statement, stating, “What I said was that there is an allegation that money is transferred to the account of an orderly of one of us and a tribunal staff by a lawyer. The said staff is currently under investigation on this matter.
“A lawyer attempted to bring meat for me during the Eid-El Kabir celebration, which I declined and cautioned him that it is unethical.”
The NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) asked Azinge to name the culprit and has set up a panel of three members to investigate the allegation and submit a report within ten days.
The SPIDEL described the senior lawyers who offered the bribe to pervert justice as “shameless characters”.
It condemned the unethical act and commended Azinge by disclosing the attempt to bribe her and compromise the tribunal, according to a statement issued by NBA-SPIDEL Chairman John Aikpokpo-Martins and Secretary Funmi Adeogun.
The statement reads, “Information that has gone viral on social media indicates that Azinge, the Chairman of the National and State Houses of Assembly Election Tribunal in Kano State, in an unprecedented manner expressed displeasure and anger in the open court when she alleged that a Senior Advocate appearing before the tribunal attempted to bribe her to pervert the course of justice.
“The Chairman was quoted to have particularly stated thus ‘A Senior Advocate of Nigeria who has a pending case before me is attempting to bribe me. Money has been flying in this tribunal since yesterday.
‘“Whoever collects money on my behalf, God will punish that person and his generation yet unborn – to the fourth generation. They keep abusing Judges, insulting us every day in the papers, in the media – that we are taking bribes. Let me repeat again that nobody should approach me.”’
“SPIDEL commends (Azinge) for voicing out the fact that attempts have been made by a Senior Advocate to bribe and, by extension, compromise the tribunal; and more importantly, that money has been shamelessly flying around in the tribunal for some time.
“SPIDEL strongly condemns these evil practices and attempts to compromise the integrity of the tribunal by unscrupulous legal practitioners.
“It must be stated that attempts to bribe Judges and pervert justice are not only criminal in nature but also amounts to infractions of the Rules of Professional Conduct.
“Any lawyer who engages in attempts to compromise the integrity of the court or any of its officers is a disgrace and an embarrassment to the legal profession.
“By Rule 1 of the extant Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007, it is incumbent upon every lawyer to uphold and observe the rule of law, promote and foster the cause of justice, maintain a high standard of professional conduct and not engage in any conduct which is unbecoming of a legal practitioner.
“Lawyers, as officers of the court, are obliged not to conduct themselves in any manner that may obstruct, delay, or adversely affect the due administration of justice.”
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