What is your position on President Muhammadu
Buhari’s anti-corruption war and the issue of plea bargain?
Our Coalition has always insisted on punishing culprits of corruption to serve as deterrent to
other corruption criminals and the potentially corrupt persons in the country.
The non-application of punitive measures against persons guilty of corruption
would make the whole anti-corruption war a huge joke, a waste of time, energy
and resources.
From reports, part of the conditions for the plea bargain given
to accused persons, who are penitent is forfeiting the properties and pleading
guilty, after which the EFCC would appeal to the court to temper justice with
mercy.
While acknowledging the difference between penitent corruption
criminals and recalcitrant ones, it is correct to treat those who admit their
guilt voluntarily and those that make the state to expend resources energy and
time before their conviction is achieved differently, we agree to that extent.
But our position is that those that opt for plea bargain should nonetheless not
be allowed to go scot-free; they should hence be stripped of all their
properties and monies as well as honours that could have been bestowed on some
of them - they should be made to start life anew. All of their material
possessions should be deemed as proceeds of corruption and therefore
confiscated by the state. Then they can be told to ‘go and sin no more’.
As for the recalcitrant ones, they should of course be made to
face the full constitutional and judicial consequences of their crimes. They
should be put in jail according to size of their loots, even up to life
imprisonment.
CACOL is suggesting life imprisonment for convicts that stole any amount above 1
billion naira, and they should be made to work diligently for their own upkeep
via whatever skills they possess previously or has been able to learn behind
the bars. They should be used as objects to educate the young, the youth and
all when they go on excursion to the prisons, seeing former corrupt leaders in
such situation will certainly serve to deter the potentially corrupt.
Furthermore, whatever assets traced to such convicts should be deemed to be
proceeds of corruption and confiscated by the Nigerian state.
The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt. Gen. Tukur
Buratai has been accused of an alleged
corruption crimes related to his owning properties in Dubai, although he has
insisted that he bought the mansion with
his salaries and that it was declared in his assets before the Code of Conduct
Bureau, CCB . What is your take on this?
The CCB
has explanation to give over why the assets were purportedly declared, but the
agency failed to ascertain the value of the properties vis-à-vis the legitimate
and provable earnings of the COAS.
The truth is that, we need to be circumspect in approaching the Buratai case, for
it is the duty of the CCB to ascertain the value of all assets declared by
public official before it, and bring to fore if discrepancies exist in the
declarations. That is how other agencies like EFFC can swing into action to
investigate if financial or economic crimes are being violated.
The reason why the verification of the value of the assets was not carried out by
the CCB is suspicious and makes it crucial for the CCB to clear the air,
unless, perhaps the agency was in cahoots with the COAS if the allegations
against him are proved to be valid.
This development is also bringing to the fore once again, the imperative of making
assets declarations by all public officials with the CCB public for purpose of
transparency and public scrutiny so as to engender public trust in governance.
There is absolutely no reason for public officials to hide their assets if they
got them through hard work or other legitimate means. One of the major reasons
the CCB was created in the first place was for the verification of assets
declared by public officials so as to nip the tendency to make false assets
declaration in the bud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC should not tarry any longer
before swinging into action over the Buratai-gate.
With benefit of the information on ground, the EFCC must commence investigations
into all angles to the case as the Commission is empowered in Section 7 of its
Act. How an Army General managed to save $1.5m has to be explained to
Nigerians. Thus the EFCC needs to thoroughly carry out its investigations,
including the verification of the value of the assets declared by the COAS.
Should any crime be found to have been committed by the COAS, then he should be
tried and if found guilty, he must resign and face the sanctions of his crime.
The same goes for the CCB or any of its officials found to have connived in any way.
SOURCE:
NATIONAL MIRROR
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