Section 81 Sheriffs and Civil Process Act

Section 81 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act 1945 is about Expenses of imprisonment. It provides as follows:

(1) In every case where a person is committed to prison on account of any misconduct enumerated in section 66 of this Act as well as in every case of a person committed for contempt of court, the court may direct that the expenses of the conveyance of such person to prison and of his maintenance during his imprisonment shall be defrayed in the first instance by the principal officer of the Treasury of the State or, in the case of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the Accountant-General of the Federation and if the court considers that it is expedient in the interests of justice that the expenses shall be so defrayed, the court shall so direct.
[L.N. 47 of 1955.]

(2) The principal officer of the treasury of the State or, in the case of the Federal
Capital Territory, Abuja, the Accountant-General of the Federation, shall in all such cases be entitled to recover the sums so disbursed by him by attachment and sale of the property of the person imprisoned or he may, if the court so directs, recover such s ums from the judgment creditor.

(3) In case the court shall not direct the said expenses to be defrayed by the principal officer of the Treasury of the State or, in the case of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the Accountant-General of the Federation, the same shall be defrayed by the judgment creditor.

(4) The judgment creditor may in all cases recover all sums disbursed by him for expenses as aforesaid from the judgment debtor by attachment and sale of the property of the judgment debtor.

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