Not long after his appointment as Chief Justice in March, Bart Katureebe declared war against graft which threatens to reduce proceedings on some of Uganda's court benches to a veritable farce.
Since then, he has received reports from well-meaning learned friends, naming some of the most notorious be-wigged characters. He threatens action soon. Expectedly, there must be trembling under those judicial robes.
The 'Katureebe Intention', if you may, draws to mind former Kenyan Chief Justice Evans Gicheru's Integrity and Anti-Corruption Committee of the Judiciary inquiry into allegations of untold judicial corruption which had beset his country. Things were so bad that in one case, a judge who was hearing a land dispute matter is said to have simply transferred the land title into his names right in the middle of proceedings.
Judge Aaron Ringera led the Kenyan probe and when submitting his report in 2003, confirmed that there "was credible and substantial evidence of corruption, unethical conduct and other forms of misbehaviour against 152 of Kenya's 300 judges and magistrates."
Web sources recount that at least five out of nine Court of Appeal Justices, 18 of 36 High Court Judges and 82 out of 254 magistrates were implicated as corrupt. They were duly given a two-week ultimatum to either resign or be dismissed. Several resigned or 'retired' in public interest.
Latest press reports confirm that no less than three court clerks have, in the last one month, been apprehended by officers from the Inspectorate of Government on suspicion of either involvement in bribe-taking and/or solicitation. Some progress one may conclude, but hardly enough to really come to grips with the greed demons that have possessed some of Uganda's law officers. Read more
No comments:
Post a Comment