The immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has said the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, may consider granting amnesty to corrupt politicians who are ready to return stolen funds.
He, however, said Buhari’s promise to extend hands of friendship across the political divide in his acceptance speech shortly after winning the poll, does not mean that he would not prosecute corrupt government officials who served in the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
Fayemi said this during a programme on BBC titled, HardTalk, which was monitored by our correspondent on Monday.
He said although the All Progressives Congress government would bring all corrupt government officials to book, amnesty may be considered as “a form of incentive” for corrupt persons who voluntarily come out to return stolen funds.
He said the APC government would use all means to ensure that justice and fairness were established.
He said, “Corruption is not going to be dealt with by punishment alone. It is also going to be dealt with by incentives to those who are prepared to have a conversion. If you come voluntarily and say, look, I have stolen some money and I am prepared to return the money, Gen. Buhari would not say no to that.”
Asked whether granting amnesty to those who are willing to return stolen funds was not a breach of criminal laws and justice, Fayemi added another condition, “if our processes and procedure are dealt with, we will definitely look at that.”
The former governor added, “Returning the funds is a form of justice to Nigeria because those funds will now be available for the teeming population. There would be a range of options for dealing with corruption but that does not mean that justice will not take its full course.
“Buhari said he would not interfere with the judicial process and that if anyone is found guilty of malfeasance or corruption then that the law would take its course. Buhari didn’t mention any individual but anyone who is found guilty or who behaved badly in terms of corruption would be brought to face the law.”
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