ECOWAS Set To Sanction Members For Disobeying Court Judgments

The Economic Community of West African states (ECOWAS) on Monday disclosed that plans have been concluded to punish member states that are in the habit of disregarding and disobeying judgments of the ECOWAS court of justice.

President of the ECOWAS court of justice, Justice Edward Asante, made the disclosure while declaring open a regional capacity building workshop for law enforcement agencies on promoting best practices on structure, investigation and techniques of criminal asset seizures, freezing, confiscation, recoveries, management in compliance with United Nations security council resolutions in Abuja.

The Inter-governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) has identified the absence of necessary skills by relevant government agencies as responsible for the low record in the recovery of looted funds by African countries.

Answering questions from journalists on the flagrant disobedience of judgments of the ECOWAS court by some member States, Asante said all that would soon come to an end as heads of states have reached a decision to sanction erring members. “Heads of States met and decided that member states should set up focal points in their various countries that would be responsible for the enforcement of the judgment and that has been put in place except that they have not started the regulations.

“We hope that they would start it and there is also sanction for those who do not embark on that, so I think in the very near future that would be carried out so that they would enforce the judgment for the court to have its prestige”.