EFCC, Magu frustrating anti-graft war – Malami

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Abubakar Malami (SAN), on Wednesday accused the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and its Acting Chairman, Ibrahim
Magu, of frustrating the Federal Government’s anti-graft war.

Malami, in a statement issued in Abuja, alleged that Magu and
the EFCC leadership have “manipulated and misused intelligence to
the detriment of the fight against corruption and financial crimes
in Nigeria.”

He also accused them of working to prevent the lifting of the
country’s suspension by the global financial intelligence gathering
body – Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units (Egmont Group)
and ensure the country’s formal expulsion.

The Egmont Group, currently made up of 156 Financial
Intelligence Units (FIUs), representing 156 countries, serves as a
platform for exchange of expertise and financial intelligence to
combat money laundering and terrorist financing and functions as
the operational arm of the international anti-money laundering and
counter financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) apparatus.

Nigeria, represented in the group by the Nigerian Financial
Intelligence Unit (NFIU), was suspended on June 1, 2007 because the
NFIU lacks independence and was subject to the control of the EFCC
via the provision of the Section 1(2)(c) of the EFCC Act.

The group demanded autonomy for NFIU as a condition for the
country’s readmission, failing which it would be expelled.

Since the nation’s suspension, Malami and Magu have been unable
to agree on how to meet the condition set by the Egmont Group for
the country’s readmission.

While the AGF wants the creation of an autonomous NFIU, detached
from the EFCC, and has send a Bill to the National Assembly to that
effect, Magu wants NFIU to remain part of EFCC, but with mere
re-organisation of its operations.

In the statement issued for the AGF by his spokesman, Comrade
Salihu Othman Isah, Malami frowned at Magu’s hard stance on the
issue and noted that the uncooperative attitude of EFCC’s
leadership could encourage the Egmont Group to carry out its threat
to expel the country.

Malami regretted that Magu appeared not to understand the
implication of Nigeria’s expulsion from the group on government’s
efforts to combat corruption, terrorism, money laundering and other
related vices.

The AGF, who insisted on ensuring the separation of NFIU from
the EFCC, praised the Senate for passing the Bill for an
independent NFIU and urged the House of Representatives to urgently
pass similar Bill currently pending before it.

The statement reads: “The EFCC is now in a state of paranoia, as
it dreads the effort of the government to have an independent NFIU,
which it has stood against stoically since 2006.

“As it presently stands, the NFIU staff are all deployed by the
EFCC to serve in the interest of whoever is its current Chairman.
This has to stop if it must conform to the new thinking and global
best practice. Nigeria cannot be an island of its own. It cannot
fight corruption in isolation.

“The threat of expulsion from the Egmont Group calls for a
thorough review of the NFIU and the manner in which the EFCC
leadership has manipulated and misused intelligence to the
detriment of the fight against corruption and financial crime in
Nigeria.

“To achieve the desired goal, NFIU needs to stand alone as an
agency with full complements of power to recruit its staff and an
annual budgetary allocation guaranteed for its operations.

“Its independence must be ascertained in the new law to set up
Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency (NFIA) to enable it carry
out its mandate, which shall include responsibilities for
receiving, requesting, analysing and disseminating financial
intelligence reports on money laundering, terrorist financing and
other relevant information to law enforcement, security and
intelligence agencies, and other relevant authorities.”

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Abubakar Malami (SAN), on Wednesday accused the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and its Acting Chairman, Ibrahim
Magu, of frustrating the Federal Government’s anti-graft
war.

Malami, in a statement issued in Abuja, alleged that Magu and
the EFCC leadership have “manipulated and misused intelligence to
the detriment of the fight against corruption and financial crimes
in Nigeria.”

He also accused them of working to prevent the lifting of the
country’s suspension by the global financial intelligence gathering
body – Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units (Egmont Group)
and ensure the country’s formal expulsion.

The Egmont Group, currently made up of 156 Financial
Intelligence Units (FIUs), representing 156 countries, serves as a
platform for exchange of expertise and financial intelligence to
combat money laundering and terrorist financing and functions as
the operational arm of the international anti-money laundering and
counter financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) apparatus.

Nigeria, represented in the group by the Nigerian Financial
Intelligence Unit (NFIU), was suspended on June 1, 2007 because the
NFIU lacks independence and was subject to the control of the EFCC
via the provision of the Section 1(2)(c) of the EFCC Act.

The group demanded autonomy for NFIU as a condition for the
country’s readmission, failing which it would be expelled.

Since the nation’s suspension, Malami and Magu have been unable
to agree on how to meet the condition set by the Egmont Group for
the country’s readmission.

While the AGF wants the creation of an autonomous NFIU, detached
from the EFCC, and has send a Bill to the National Assembly to that
effect, Magu wants NFIU to remain part of EFCC, but with mere
re-organisation of its operations.

In the statement issued for the AGF by his spokesman, Comrade
Salihu Othman Isah, Malami frowned at Magu’s hard stance on the
issue and noted that the uncooperative attitude of EFCC’s
leadership could encourage the Egmont Group to carry out its threat
to expel the country.

Malami regretted that Magu appeared not to understand the
implication of Nigeria’s expulsion from the group on government’s
efforts to combat corruption, terrorism, money laundering and other
related vices.

The AGF, who insisted on ensuring the separation of NFIU from
the EFCC, praised the Senate for passing the Bill for an
independent NFIU and urged the House of Representatives to urgently
pass similar Bill currently pending before it.

The statement reads: “The EFCC is now in a state of paranoia, as
it dreads the effort of the government to have an independent NFIU,
which it has stood against stoically since 2006.

“As it presently stands, the NFIU staff are all deployed by the
EFCC to serve in the interest of whoever is its current Chairman.
This has to stop if it must conform to the new thinking and global
best practice. Nigeria cannot be an island of its own. It cannot
fight corruption in isolation.

“The threat of expulsion from the Egmont Group calls for a
thorough review of the NFIU and the manner in which the EFCC
leadership has manipulated and misused intelligence to the
detriment of the fight against corruption and financial crime in
Nigeria.

“To achieve the desired goal, NFIU needs to stand alone as an
agency with full complements of power to recruit its staff and an
annual budgetary allocation guaranteed for its operations.

“Its independence must be ascertained in the new law to set up
Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency (NFIA) to enable it carry
out its mandate, which shall include responsibilities for
receiving, requesting, analysing and disseminating financial
intelligence reports on money laundering, terrorist financing and
other relevant information to law enforcement, security and
intelligence agencies, and other relevant authorities.”