The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Imo State Barr. Cyprian O.C. Akaolisa has said that the state government has commenced talks with the ‘Hague Institute for Innovation of law in Switzerland with a view to identify justice law in the state.
He said that the Foreign Establishment in collaboration with the state government had approved a “Community Justices Centre” for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in every community in the state which would be centred at the palace of the traditional ruler of a such community.
He said: “We will start pilot centres with one in each council area as part of our effort to quicken legal services delivery”.
The AG disclosed this Tuesday in his office in Owerri while briefing journalists on the achievements and challenges of his Ministry.
He said that although the state government is asking for 27 of such centres, but only 3 had been approved for now which would assist in the administration of Justice at the grassroots.
According to him the measure would be an innovation for the people to settle their problems at their local government councils with a legal expert at hand for this, stressing that it would be a full legal framework for Justice administration at the local government level.
Akaolisa disclosed that before the year ends, the state would no longer be quoting the laws of the defunct Eastern Nigeria which would be turned into a “law of Imo State and which would also become criminal code law of Imo State after it might have been passed into law by the state House of Assembly.
With 21 newly engaged prosecutors currently assisting in the prosecution of cases in the state, the Attorney General said that the state government is taking steps to resolve all legal cases pending against her in the court including those of contractual obligations through “out of court settlement” and by means of her Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism.
He said that government has being able to settle out of court with the former Deputy Governor of Imo State Sir. Jude Agbaso with the payment of his severance package, vehicles and unpaid salaries.
The AG said that case was already at the High Court against the previous government of Sen. Rochas Okorocha over his unlawful removal from office, before the present government of Hope Uzodinma decided to settle out of court by paying him his severance packages, vehicles, unpaid salaries.
He disclosed that the state government was not able to settle out of court with the immediate past Governor Prince Eze Madumere because he was claiming things that were not possible by the government
He revealed that the Imo State Law Report which had not been published for the past two decades would henceforth be made an annual report for information and consumption of all.
Akaolisa stated that the Law Report contained 49 judgements out of 5000 judgements picked by the drafting committee.
“All courts including magistrates courts in the three senatorial zones of the state are functioning well and the judges sit regularly and for now, we have about 38 judges with one customary court in each of the 27 council areas”.
Akoalisa commended the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (ICAN) for her recent rating of Governor Hope Uzodinma as the best State Governor on Accountability and Transparency”, in the country describing this as a veritable evidence of the governor’s prudence in financial management through the Treasurer Single Account (TSA).
He also hailed the Governor for the ongoing roads revolution in the state, regular payment of salaries and gratuities to both serving and retired civil servants.
He assured that deserving prison inmates in the state would continue to enjoy jail delivery through the exercise of the prerogative of Mercy by Governor Hope Uzodinma even as he blamed past administrations for not taking proper care of some customary/ magistrates courts in the state.
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