The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said it is not
working at cross purposes with the Attorney General of the
Federation in the prosecution of high-profile corruption cases.
The Head of Legal at the EFCC, Mr. G.K. Latona, said rather than
wait for the EFCC, the AGF had the power to initiative
investigation into criminal cases and prosecute them.
A statement on Wednesday by human rights advocacy group,
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, quoted Latona to
have said this at a stakeholders’ round-table discussion on the
prosecution of abandoned and unresolved high-profile corruption
cases.
According to the statement by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Adewale
Timothy, Latona represented the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr.
Ibrahim Magu, at the event which held in Ikeja, Lagos on
Wednesday.
The round-table discussion with the theme, “Strategies and
approaches for the successful completion and effective prosecution
of abandoned and unresolved high-profile cases of corruption in
Nigeria,” was organised by SERAP in collaboration with
TrustAfrica.
The Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions, Chief
Okoi Obono-Obla, had reportedly said on Tuesday that the EFCC and
the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences
Commission were not cooperating with the AGF, Mr. Abubakar Malami
(SAN), in the prosecution of high-profile corruption cases.
“Although the Attorney General of the Federation has the power,
under both the constitution and the Administration of Criminal
Justice Act 2015, to make a request of any case file that is
pending either with the police, the ICPC, the EFCC or any of the
prosecuting agencies, we met a brick wall when we requested the
files of the high-profile cases of former governors from the EFCC
and the ICPC,” Obono-Obla had said.
But speaking in Lagos on Wednesday at the SERAP event where
Obono-Obla himself was present, Latona said, “We are not working at
cross purposes with the office of the Attorney General of the
Federation; we are cooperating with them. We have a wide range of
corruption cases in concert with state agencies.
“The Attorney General Office has the right to initiate new
high-profile corruption cases and investigate them themselves
without waiting for cases initiated by the EFCC. We are also
working on best practices manuals for the prosecutors and
investigators. If you want a corruption-free society, we must all
work towards it.”
The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against
Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), who delivered a paper at the
event, advocated serious sanctions for senior lawyers “who have
turned obstruction and frustration of proceedings in high-profile
corruption cases into an art.”
Sagay said punishment for such senior lawyers must include
denial of right of appearance in high-profile corruption cases.
He urged prosecuting authorities to always insist on the full
application of sections 306 and 396 of the Administration of
Criminal Justice Act, which barred stay of proceedings in criminal
cases and provided for day-to-day hearing in such cases.
The guest speaker at the event, Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George
(SAN), said the only way the judiciary could prevent interference
by the executive was to purge itself of corruption.
“Judiciary must purge itself of corruption so that it can avoid
executive interference. We also need to leverage on electronic
recording of proceedings and put an end to writing in longhand by
judges,” Akinseye-George said.
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Abubakar
Mahmoud (SAN), urged lawyers not to hesitate to report to the NBA
any corrupt act they notice in court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said it is not
working at cross purposes with the Attorney General of the
Federation in the prosecution of high-profile corruption
cases.
The Head of Legal at the EFCC, Mr. G.K. Latona, said rather than
wait for the EFCC, the AGF had the power to initiative
investigation into criminal cases and prosecute them.
A statement on Wednesday by human rights advocacy group,
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, quoted Latona to
have said this at a stakeholders’ round-table discussion on the
prosecution of abandoned and unresolved high-profile corruption
cases.
According to the statement by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Adewale
Timothy, Latona represented the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr.
Ibrahim Magu, at the event which held in Ikeja, Lagos on
Wednesday.
The round-table discussion with the theme, “Strategies and
approaches for the successful completion and effective prosecution
of abandoned and unresolved high-profile cases of corruption in
Nigeria,” was organised by SERAP in collaboration with
TrustAfrica.
The Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions, Chief
Okoi Obono-Obla, had reportedly said on Tuesday that the EFCC and
the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences
Commission were not cooperating with the AGF, Mr. Abubakar Malami
(SAN), in the prosecution of high-profile corruption cases.
“Although the Attorney General of the Federation has the power,
under both the constitution and the Administration of Criminal
Justice Act 2015, to make a request of any case file that is
pending either with the police, the ICPC, the EFCC or any of the
prosecuting agencies, we met a brick wall when we requested the
files of the high-profile cases of former governors from the EFCC
and the ICPC,” Obono-Obla had said.
But speaking in Lagos on Wednesday at the SERAP event where
Obono-Obla himself was present, Latona said, “We are not working at
cross purposes with the office of the Attorney General of the
Federation; we are cooperating with them. We have a wide range of
corruption cases in concert with state agencies.
“The Attorney General Office has the right to initiate new
high-profile corruption cases and investigate them themselves
without waiting for cases initiated by the EFCC. We are also
working on best practices manuals for the prosecutors and
investigators. If you want a corruption-free society, we must all
work towards it.”
The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against
Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), who delivered a paper at the
event, advocated serious sanctions for senior lawyers “who have
turned obstruction and frustration of proceedings in high-profile
corruption cases into an art.”
Sagay said punishment for such senior lawyers must include
denial of right of appearance in high-profile corruption cases.
He urged prosecuting authorities to always insist on the full
application of sections 306 and 396 of the Administration of
Criminal Justice Act, which barred stay of proceedings in criminal
cases and provided for day-to-day hearing in such cases.
The guest speaker at the event, Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George
(SAN), said the only way the judiciary could prevent interference
by the executive was to purge itself of corruption.
“Judiciary must purge itself of corruption so that it can avoid
executive interference. We also need to leverage on electronic
recording of proceedings and put an end to writing in longhand by
judges,” Akinseye-George said.
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Abubakar
Mahmoud (SAN), urged lawyers not to hesitate to report to the NBA
any corrupt act they notice in court.
Read more https://nairalaw.com/anti-graft-war-were-not-working-against-agf-says-efcc/