- Justice Ayo Salami, the former president of the Court of Appeal, has rejected his new appointment
- Justice Salami was named as the chairman of the Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee (COTRIMCO)
- He is believed to have been convinced that the committee may not work as efficiently expected
Justice Ayo Salami, the former president of the Court of Appeal, has reportedly rejected his appointment as the chairman of the Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee based on principle and conscience.
According to the Nation Newspaper, Salami is convinced that the committee may not work as “efficiently expected” because of the businesses of some members.
He was named the chair of COTRIMCO, which was set up by the National Judicial Council, (NJC) on September 27 by Justice Walter Onnoghen, the chief justice of Nigeria.
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NAIJ.com gathered that his appointment was based on the decision of the NJC at its 82nd meeting in Abuja and the Justice is said to be uncomfortable with the composition of the 15-man committee.
The panel is said to include some members who had been implicated in some conflicting challenges between the bench and the bar.
It was learnt that Salami was out of the country when he was appointed, he sought audience with the CJN upon his return.
A top official at the Supreme Court told the newspaper that after discussing his reservations with the CJN, he wrote to reject the appointment.
According to a source, “I think Salami felt that a few members of the committee had been entrenched in the intrigues in the nation’s Judiciary.
“He believes that as the chairman of the committee, he will not have the authority to keep those members in check.
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“So, instead of creating unnecessary problem for himself without any place to run to, he opted to stay away from the committee.
“In fact, while he was still being asked by colleagues to give the appointment a chance, there was controversy over the reinstatement of a former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms Task Team, Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina. Salami just said he won’t accept this offer.
“He, however, took time to meet with the CJN personally to thank him for the honour and why he cannot accept the job. He made it known that he had no grudges against the CJN.”
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that NJC appointed justice Salami as the chairman of COTRIMCO
His appointment was confirmed in a statement signed by the spokesperson of the NJC, Soji Oye.
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Source: Naij.com
