Eight judges and two Registrars are being investigated, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Thursday.
The commission also said another judge under probe had secured a Federal High Court order to stop his investigation, adding that it had been in court trying to vacate the injunction of the Federal High Court.
It said that those being investigated by the EFCC were not part of the nine judges being grilled by the Department of State Security Service (DSS).
It faulted insinuations that there was a rift with the DSS and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
The EFCC’s clarifications was contained in a statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren against the backdrop of a report on why the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) asked the DSS to probe some judges.
The statement said: “It must be stated that of the seven judges who are subject of the DSS raids, only one of them previously featured in a petition on alleged corruption to the EFCC.
“Investigation into the petition had reached an advanced stage, when one of the judges got a Federal High Court order to stop further investigation by the Commission. EFCC is still trying to vacate that order for the investigation to proceed unfettered.
“However, Nigerians deserve to know that the nature of professional investigation of financial crimes is highly discrete and not given to theatre. The subject usually does not know the Commission is amassing evidence against him or her for several months before the strike.
“Therefore, the notion that a petition is submitted today and the next things that follow are instant arrests, prosecution and convictions, is highly misleading.
“In this regard, EFCC is currently investigating eight (8) judges and two (2) court registrars.
“Some of the suspects who have been invited have made useful statements that have been of great assistance to the investigations.
“In due course, those who have cases to answer would be arrested and charged to court.”
The EFCC denied any rift with the AGF and the DSS on the approach to the war against corruption.
The statement added: “The attention of the EFCC has been drawn to a story on Thursday, headlined, ‘Why AGF shuns EFCC, Sends Judges’ Cases to DSS’.
The “EFCC wishes to put on record, that there is no friction with the office of the AGF and the Commission is not involved in inter-agency squabbles with the DSS.
“Indeed, the Commission, along with the DSS, ICPC, Police and the office of the AGF, is a member of a technical committee that meets at the highest level of government to collaborate and coordinate strategies against corruption. The last such meeting was as recently as today.”
