Malami Asks Buhari To Disband Itse Sagay’s PACAC

Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-Gen­eral of the Federa­tion and
Minister of Justice, has recommended the disbandment of the
Pres­idential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) headed
by Prof. Itse Sagay to President Muhammadu Bu­hari, Daily
Independent has gathered.

Sources said Malami’s argument was that the com­mittee has
outlived its useful­ness and should be disbanded like the Special
Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public
Property (SPIP) formerly under the supervision of Okoi
Obo­no-Obla.

President Buhari disband­ed the SPIP in September 2019 and
transferred the du­ties of the panel to Malami.

PACAC was established in August 2015, with the mandate to
promote the reform agenda of the gov­ernment on the
anti-corrup­tion effort, and to advise the present administration
in the prosecution of the war against corruption and the
implementation of required reforms in Nigeria’s criminal justice
system.

Daily Independent gath­ered that trouble began be­tween Malami
and PACAC over the committee mem­bers’ belief that the minis­ter
was interfering in some of their works, especially on their report
on some corrupt Nigerians.

The committee also in­curred Malami’s wrath when it declared
public support for the reappointment of Ibra­him Magu, former
acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Com­mission
(EFCC).

However, Malami, in a memo to President Buhari, accused Magu of
a myriad of contraventions, especially “diversion of recovered
loot, insubordination and miscon­duct”. He further said that Magu
was not transparent enough in the management of the recovered
assets.

Magu was later probed and found guilty of the charges leveled
against him by the Justice Ayo Salami panel which recommended his
sack.

The president, thereafter, appointed Abdulrasheed Bawa, the
Lagos zonal head of EFCC, as the substantive chairman of the
anti-graft agency.

Following Bawa’s confir­mation by the Senate, Sagay had said
Malami, as the per­son who recommended him for the position, will
interfere in his work and will not allow him to operate.

Responding, the minister through his spokesperson, Dr. Umar
Jibrilu Gwandu, said Sagay is “a confused old man whose vision is
becloud­ed by speculations and guess works.”

Speaking with Daily In­dependent on Sunday, a pres­idency source
said Malami has called for the disband­ment of PACAC as the
com­mittee is no longer relevant to the anti-corruption war.

“The minister has made some recommendations, one of which is the
disband­ment of PACAC. It, however, remains to be seen whether the
president will approve of it or not”.

When contacted, Malami, who spoke through his media aide, said
only the presidency that established PACAC can determine whether it
is still useful or not.

“PACAC is a presidential committee established by the presidency
long before the appointment of Abu­bakar Malami, SAN, as the
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and his
assumption into office in 2015.

“The fate of the existence or otherwise of the commit­tee is
exclusive preserve of the presidency regardless of whether it
outlives its useful­ness or not.”

Also speaking, Prof. Sagay said contrary to what the minister or
others may think, PACAC is still very relevant in the fight against
corrup­tion in the country.

Listing some of the achievements of the com­mittee since its
formation, Sagay said, “All I will say is that whatever he may
think, the committee is still very relevant to the fight against
corruption in this country.

“We provide the coordi­nation of the two agencies (EFCC and
ICPC), we train and help to mobilise and en­courage the
anti-corruption agencies to be more effective. We have a lot of
ideas that we have been pumping into the system which they are
using.

“We have written books on prosecution, sentencing and various
other issues which are relevant to their work, apart from actually
training them. This is a continuous process.

“This issue of recoveries, which is a major part of the work of
the two agencies is hugely a result of the various trainings that
we gave to the agencies in 2017 on recovery of assets when we found
that sentencing the victims in pol­itics was difficult.

“We thought let us re­cover what they looted and we invited
experts from all over the world in that field to provide trainings,
including United Nations personnel. So, we are still very vital to
the fight against corruption in this country”.

Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-Gen­eral of the Federa­tion and
Minister of Justice, has recommended the disbandment of the
Pres­idential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) headed
by Prof. Itse Sagay to President Muhammadu Bu­hari, Daily
Independent has gathered.

Sources said Malami’s argument was that the com­mittee has
outlived its useful­ness and should be disbanded like the Special
Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public
Property (SPIP) formerly under the supervision of Okoi
Obo­no-Obla.

President Buhari disband­ed the SPIP in September 2019 and
transferred the du­ties of the panel to Malami.

PACAC was established in August 2015, with the mandate to
promote the reform agenda of the gov­ernment on the
anti-corrup­tion effort, and to advise the present administration
in the prosecution of the war against corruption and the
implementation of required reforms in Nigeria’s criminal justice
system.

Daily Independent gath­ered that trouble began be­tween Malami
and PACAC over the committee mem­bers’ belief that the minis­ter
was interfering in some of their works, especially on their report
on some corrupt Nigerians.

The committee also in­curred Malami’s wrath when it declared
public support for the reappointment of Ibra­him Magu, former
acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Com­mission
(EFCC).

However, Malami, in a memo to President Buhari, accused Magu of
a myriad of contraventions, especially “diversion of recovered
loot, insubordination and miscon­duct”. He further said that Magu
was not transparent enough in the management of the recovered
assets.

Magu was later probed and found guilty of the charges leveled
against him by the Justice Ayo Salami panel which recommended his
sack.

The president, thereafter, appointed Abdulrasheed Bawa, the
Lagos zonal head of EFCC, as the substantive chairman of the
anti-graft agency.

Following Bawa’s confir­mation by the Senate, Sagay had said
Malami, as the per­son who recommended him for the position, will
interfere in his work and will not allow him to operate.

Responding, the minister through his spokesperson, Dr. Umar
Jibrilu Gwandu, said Sagay is “a confused old man whose vision is
becloud­ed by speculations and guess works.”

Speaking with Daily In­dependent on Sunday, a pres­idency source
said Malami has called for the disband­ment of PACAC as the
com­mittee is no longer relevant to the anti-corruption war.

“The minister has made some recommendations, one of which is the
disband­ment of PACAC. It, however, remains to be seen whether the
president will approve of it or not”.

When contacted, Malami, who spoke through his media aide, said
only the presidency that established PACAC can determine whether it
is still useful or not.

“PACAC is a presidential committee established by the presidency
long before the appointment of Abu­bakar Malami, SAN, as the
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and his
assumption into office in 2015.

“The fate of the existence or otherwise of the commit­tee is
exclusive preserve of the presidency regardless of whether it
outlives its useful­ness or not.”

Also speaking, Prof. Sagay said contrary to what the minister or
others may think, PACAC is still very relevant in the fight against
corrup­tion in the country.

Listing some of the achievements of the com­mittee since its
formation, Sagay said, “All I will say is that whatever he may
think, the committee is still very relevant to the fight against
corruption in this country.

“We provide the coordi­nation of the two agencies (EFCC and
ICPC), we train and help to mobilise and en­courage the
anti-corruption agencies to be more effective. We have a lot of
ideas that we have been pumping into the system which they are
using.

“We have written books on prosecution, sentencing and various
other issues which are relevant to their work, apart from actually
training them. This is a continuous process.

“This issue of recoveries, which is a major part of the work of
the two agencies is hugely a result of the various trainings that
we gave to the agencies in 2017 on recovery of assets when we found
that sentencing the victims in pol­itics was difficult.

“We thought let us re­cover what they looted and we invited
experts from all over the world in that field to provide trainings,
including United Nations personnel. So, we are still very vital to
the fight against corruption in this country”.