CSLS President, Akinseye-George Urges Senate To Emulate Reps In Speedy Passage Of Amended ACJ Bill
…Passage Of Tax Reform Act 2025 Beneficial To Poor Families — Prof. Akinseye-George, SAN, Comends President, NASS
Deji Adebayo, Abuja
The Center for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS) has commended the National Assembly (NASS) for its passage of the Tax Reform Act, 2025 recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.
President of the CSLS, Prof Yemi Akinseye-George, SAN, made the commendation on Thursday, in Abuja during a press briefing, stated the move which is good for the nation would benefit many families in the country, especially the poor.
“We commend the National Assembly for the passage of the Tax Reform Act 2025, which brings significant benefits to many families especially the poor”, Akinseye-George said, just as he urged the Senate to emulate the House of Representatives in passing the Administration of Criminal Justice Bill, pending at the upper chamber in the last two years.
“The Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS) commends the leadership and members of the House of Representatives for their commitment to justice sector reform in general and to the strengthening of the criminal procedure system in particular.
CSLS president said; “by passing the ACJ Bill 2023, which contains several innovative provisions the members of the House of Representatives have made clear their strong determination and political will to consolidate the country’s democracy by strengthening the system of criminal justice administration which is one of the major instruments for promoting accountability and rectitude in the country”.
The ACJA, 2015, no doubt has transformed Nigeria’s criminal justice landscape, over time, however, there are some identified lapses in its implementation necessitating its amendment.
Among others, the new law provides for the express abolition of the practice of Trial-within-Trial which delays criminal proceedings.
“This procedure, when the new Act is passed, will now be combined with the main trial rather than conducting a separate Trial-within-Trial. This brings the Federal ACJA in tandem with that of Kaduna State, Plateau State and others that have merged Trial-within-Trial with the main proceedings in the criminal trial”, he said.
Another innovation is the eradication of trial denovo, following the death, transfer or promotion of a judge trying a criminal matter.
Other gains include: the establishment of Sex Offender Register in the FCT; Filing of defence witness deposition; Recording of demeanour of witnesses; Dispensation to a Justice of the Court of Appeal to conclude part-heard criminal matter; and Introduction of Plea form which shall be served along with a criminal charge and filed in the court as the plea of the defendant.
“This will be adopted by the defendant during arraignment. It disposes of the viva voce reading of all the counts of Offences in the charge during arraignment in court. This will make arraignment of defendants faster and more sensible particularly where the counts of offences charged are many”, he said.
According to the center, the bill as passed by the Reps seeks to harmonize the provisions of non-custodial sentences with those of the Nigeria Correctional Service Act 2019, which recognizes the prime position of the Nigerian Correctional Service as the agency responsible for implementing non-custodial sentences in the country.
“The ACJ Bill 2023 corrects the defects observed by the courts in the Plea Bargaining Provisions of the ACJA 2015”, he said.
“Apart from the foregoing there are several other improvements proposed for incorporation in the seven-year-old ACJA. However, the fundamental principles, and essential elements of the ACJA remain unchanged.
“These include abolition of stay of criminal proceedings; abolition of leave to prefer charge, abolition of holding charge, effective case management by trial courts, witness protection, abolition of lay prosecution, establishment of central criminal records registry, women as sureties, respect for the fair trial rights of defendants including the Miranda rights, sentencing guidelines, etc.
“All these and other key innovations, which endeared the ACJA 2015 to the stakeholders and development partners are retained by the ACJ Bill 2023”, he added.