THE fact that a magistrate, who granted bail to alleged cybercrime kingpin, James Junior Aliyu, used Google for legal knowledge on some aspects of the case, had an acting judge frowning.
“The learned magistrate, unfortunately, acted as a witness in the case, by searching, by his own admission during his judgment, on Google for evidence of an extradition treaty between the US and Nigeria,” the acting judge said.
His remarks were made after the National Prosecuting Authority had appealed against the fact that Aliyu was granted bail.
Acting Judge Peet Johnson, who heard the appeal in the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, remarked about the magistrate’s Google antics: “It is irregular for a court to search for evidence on Google, which had not been proved to be a reliable source of…