The poor deserve justice too
Judges in a way serve as ‘gods’ as they have the power to acquit, jail or even apply the law to end a man’s life; if that man is found guilty. In view of this, the judiciary serves as the conscience of society and is expected to be resolute in their decisions, devoid of any external influence.
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However, most people are not surprised at the alleged corruption in the judiciary via the investigative piece by undercover investigator Anas.
A few people who have had to use the court system to seek justice can attest to the frustration they go through, especially where they do not have the means to pay for the services of a lawyer.
Indeed, a lot of poor people have had their land taken from them by rich and powerful people who have the right contacts as well as the means to hire the services of crack lawyers. A study can be commissioned into this and that can come out with scientific results as to how the public perceive the judiciary in its entirety.
Very straight forward cases that elsewhere in the world take hours to settle can last for over a decade in our courts. As such most people give up so they do not die in the process of seeking justice. And in most cases, it is the poor who suffer. Trekking for years to a court just over simple issues takes its toll on litigants and they give up.
Others have also been kept and forgotten in prison custody for crimes that they did not really commit. Besides, some just languish in jail because investigators have been transferred or retired.
How do we treat fellow citizens this way? Fortunately, some of these victims of circumstances have been released under the ‘Justice For All’ programme.
There are so many bottlenecks within the judicial system that create fertile grounds for corruption for all category of workers in the chain.
For instance, dockets go missing, bailiffs have to be picked by plaintiffs and given money before they perform the work which they are paid to do, court clerks must be appreciated to get cases called.
As a result of some of these negative experiences in our courts, the perception out there is that the judicial sector is indeed very corrupt and protects only the rich and powerful in society.
The bribery scandal has simply reinforced the perception of corruption in the judiciary. Even though this exposé is likely to blow out as typical of us, hopefully, it will help rid the system of the negative practices that hinder the delivery of justice in the country.
It is expected that those in the chain will know that eyes are watching whenever they are tempted to take an envelope before they perform their duties or change the course of justice.
Justice is not for sale, and it shouldn’t be bought.