Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade
A renowned lawyer, Olugbenga Babatunde yesterday said allegations of financial impropriety leveled against former Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade were baseless and were made to tarnish her image.
There have been rumours that the former CJ is under probe for mismanaging the state judiciary funds while she was in charge.But Babatunde said nothing could be further from the truth, challenging anyone with evidence to come forward or be quiet.
According to him, all through her stay in office, the National Judicial Council (NJC), responsible for disciplining judges, never issued Atilade a query over her conduct, let alone acts of corruption.
Babatunde regretted that many unfounded stories and insinuations have been coming from the top hierarchy of the Lagos State High Court against Atilade who took over the baton from her elder sister, Justice Ayotunde Phillips.
According to him, the invitation of Atilade’s former Personal Assistant by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for questioning had nothing to do with her integrity or activities whilst in office.
Babatunde, who is over 30 years at the Bar, said the allegations were borne from petty jealousy by those who feel bitter about Atilade’s immediate succession after her sister, urging the public to disregard claims by unnamed senior officers who he said were spreading the falsehood.
The lawyer said the leadership of the judiciary would be more productive if they spent their time and energy in consolidating on Atilade’s legacies and moving the judiciary forward “instead of creating distractions and spreading unfounded rumours.”
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