According to PUNCH..The plan by the Office of the Attorney
General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice to re-open some
alleged high-profile corruption cases has been stalled by lack of funds, we has learnt.
Sources in the AGF office confirmed to
our correspondent on Tuesday that the corruption cases, involving some
former governors, were among those affected by paucity of funds.
It was learnt that because of
insufficient funds, the AGF, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), recently shifted
attention to the more sensitive cases of the judges being prosecuted
for alleged corruption.
One of the sources said, “You will
recall that the office of the AGF had, in July, written to the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission as well as the Independent Corrupt
Practices and other related offences Commission, demanding the files of
some former governors with a view to commencing action on deserving
ones.
“But the plan has not been implemented largely because of lack of funds.
“Also, the cases of the arrested judges
came up, and due to the sensitivity of the case, the little available
resources have to be expended on them.”
A source added that much fund was needed
to prosecute the ex-governors’ cases because they would be handled by
private lawyers put together by the National Prosecution Coordinating
Committee of the Federal Government.
Other high-profile cases were also said to have been affected by the lack of fund.
The PUNCH had exclusively
reported that the AGF’s letter to the anti-corruption agencies,
requesting the files on the former governors, had indicated that many of
the cases had been investigated some years ago but charges were never
filed against those found to be culpable.
The letter partly read, “It is clear
that some of these governors and other politically-exposed persons have
not been charged to court despite the fact that the ICPC has concluded
the investigations concerning allegations levelled against them for one
reason or the other.
“It is the position of the present
administration that all ex-governors, on who the ICPC had long concluded
investigations into the various allegations levelled against them,
should be immediately prosecuted.”
The letter to the anti-corruption
agencies in July had given a 14-day ultimatum to the agencies to “remit
the duplicate case files, concerning the politically-exposed persons
investigated by the ICPC over the years”, to the office of the AGF.
We had reported that
some of the ex-governors were currently undergoing trial on charges
initiated against them by the EFCC at either the various divisions of
the Federal High Court or the High Courts of their home states.
There are about five of the former governors, who are now serving senators.
Some of them had served as senators after completing two terms of eight years as governors.
The affected personalities served as
governors for either one or two terms between 1999 and 2015 and are from
all the six geopolitical zones of the country.
On the list is a former Governor of
Delta State, James Ibori, who was convicted and recently completed his
jail term in the United Kingdom.
The list also contains the names of
Senate President Bukola Saraki, the former Governor of Kwara State;
Godswill Akpabio (a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State) and Ali Modu
Sheriff (a former Governor of Borno State).
Other ex-governors on the list are Orji
Uzor Kalu (Abia); Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); Saminu Turaki (Jigawa);
Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Ahmed Yerima (Zamfara);
Gabriel Suswam (Benue); Martin Elechi (Ebonyi); Danjuma Goje (Gombe) and
Murtala Nyako (Adamawa).
The list also contains the names of
Ikedi Ohakim (Imo); Achike Udenwa (Imo); Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa);
Gbenga Daniel (Ogun); Jolly Nyame (Taraba); Boni Haruna (Adamawa);
George Akume (Benue); Rashidi Ladoja (Oyo); Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto)
and Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo).
Others are Usman Dakingari (Kebbi); Adamu Mu’azu (Bauchi); Peter Odili (Rivers); and Lucky Igbindedion (Edo).
The AGF’s letter also requested the files of other high-profile cases involving politically-exposed persons.
The AGF letter defines high-profile
cases as cases “involving alleged misconduct amounting to economic
sabotage; involving complex financial transactions or property movement
involving any of the suspects, who is a politician, a public officer or
judicial officer; and where the subject matter involves government or
corruption of its official or involves abuse of office.
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