Audit Report Exposes Supreme Court’s N12 Billion Financial Mismanagement
An audit report from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAuGF) has revealed that Nigeria’s Supreme Court violated financial regulations by spending over N12 billion over a five-year period. The report, released in December 2023, recommended that the Chief Registrar of the court recover and remit these funds to the treasury.
The audit report, which primarily covers the expenditures and finances of federal government ministries, departments, and agencies for the 2020 fiscal year, also delves into major payments and transactions from 2017 to 2021 for the Supreme Court. It highlights various issues, including payments for contracts without budgetary provisions, diversion of government assets for private use, inflation of contract prices, irregular award of contracts, and overpayment to contractors.
One significant finding of the report is the lack of accountability in the procurement of broadcast equipment. Although the Supreme Court received N645 million for this purpose in 2017, it failed to produce relevant documents for audit, citing weaknesses in its internal control system.
Another concern raised in the report is the diversion of government assets for private use. The Supreme Court paid over N3 billion for 45 vehicles between 2017 and 2021, but after the justices retired, the official cars were not returned for inspection, indicating misuse of government property.
The report also uncovered the unauthorized sale of four landed properties belonging to the court in Lagos, as well as irregularities in contract awards and overpayments to contractors. Despite these findings, the Supreme Court’s management has not provided explanations for these violations.
This revelation adds to existing concerns about transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s judiciary. The National Judicial Council (NJC) has been criticized for concealing the judiciary’s budget details from public scrutiny, raising allegations of corruption and mismanagement of funds. Calls for probes into the judiciary’s finances have been made by retiring justices and anti-corruption activists, highlighting the need for greater transparency in the management of public funds.
Premium Times
