Following a string of court rulings against high-profile corruption cases
\nlast week, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has
\nurged President Muhammadu Buhari to \u201cadopt a revolutionary approach to his
\ngovernment\u2019s fight against corruption by referring high-level official
\ncorruption cases to the International Criminal Court for investigation and
\npossible prosecution.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organization said, \u201cAs a state party to the Rome Statute of the
\nInternational Criminal Court, the government should also consider drawing
\nfrom the expertise, experience, and international best practices of the
\ncourt to complement the mandates and powers of our anti-corruption
\nagencies and judiciary to successfully and satisfactorily investigate,
\nprosecute and hear high-profile corruption cases.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement dated 9 April 2017<\/span><\/span> and signed by SERAP deputy director According to the organization, \u201cReferral to the ICC should be considered The statement read in part: \u201cSERAP argues that corruption by high-ranking \u201cWithout effective investigation and prosecution of high-ranking public \u201cSERAP believes that radical and more robust criminal enforcement measures \u201cIt should not be the case that only petty offenders are successfully \u201cEffectively prosecuting high-ranking officials would help to persuade \u201cEfforts must also be intensified to apply stronger preventive measures to \u201cAs the situation in the country has shown, corruption is costly to good It would be recalled that last week, a Federal High Court in Lagos issued Also, Justice Abulazeez Anka of a Federal High Court in Lagos vacated a Following a string of court rulings against high-profile corruption cases last week, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to \u201cadopt a revolutionary approach to his…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nTimothy Adewale the organization said that, \u201cThe latest setbacks in the
\nprosecution of high-profile corruption cases show the need for effective
\nenforcement measures to weed out, expose, and punish grand corruption in
\nthe country. Referring large-scale corruption cases to the International
\nCriminal Court would in the short-medium term improve deterrence, and at
\nthe minimum demonstrate a symbolic commitment to confront grand corruption
\nhead on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nas a stop-gap measure, and as part of an all-embracing strategy that would
\ninevitably require a fundamental reform of the criminal justice system and
\nthe strengthening and empowerment of the country\u2019s anticorruption
\nagencies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nofficials and their families and associates is an international crime,
\nespecially given the sheer amounts of national wealth involved, and the
\ndevastating effects of such plundering, including political instability,
\nweak rule of law, and destruction of the country\u2019s economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nofficials charged with corruption, and a judiciary that is willing and
\nable to satisfactorily play its own interpretative role, this government\u2019s
\nfight against corruption may sadly turn out to be all motion and no
\nmovement, and this will eventually undermine the legitimacy of the
\nanticorruption efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nare necessary to appreciably improve anti-corruption efforts, including by
\nequipping, empowering and providing opportunities for training and
\nre-training of those charged with the investigation and prosecution of
\nlarge-scale corruption so that they can fearlessly, impartially,
\nefficiently and energetically enforce anti-corruption laws and ensure
\njustice for the countless victims of corruption in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nprosecuted while high profile corrupt officers escape punishment and
\njustice. Prosecuting the \u2018small fry\u2019 and leaving the \u2018big fish\u2019 to go
\nunpunished would send a particularly damaging message about the
\ngovernment\u2019s commitment to end large-scale official corruption, legitimize
\noffenders’ impunity, and clearly violate the underlying legal and moral
\nassumptions that a govern\u00adment will treat all persons equally, fairly, and
\nwith respect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nforeign jurisdictions keeping stolen public funds, and facilitate
\ninternational cooperation and assistance that may lead to the recovery of
\nsuch assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nensure that Nigerians are informed of the dangers of corruption. By
\nensuring that the Nigerian public views grand corruption with a \u2018human
\nface,\u2019 the public may be more likely to build a united front and demand
\nchange from their leaders, which, in turn, would gradually strengthen
\nNigeria\u2019s political will to end the problem. This is the surest way to
\nhelp keep Nigeria fair, just, stable and prosperous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ngovernance, human rights and national development, and leads to erosion of
\nconfidence in good governance, rule of law and economic stability. SERAP
\nargues that grand corruption in the country violates fundamental human
\nvalues, and the values protected by international human rights law, as
\nwell as negates the doctrine of fiduciary relations that obligate public
\nofficers to faithfully perform the duties of their office, and to preserve
\nstate property.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nan order unfreezing the Skye account of a former First Lady, Patience
\nJonathan. The EFCC had in November 2016 filed an application before the
\ncourt seeking an order freezing the account. The commission had contended
\nthat the funds were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime. The
\naccount is said to harbour the sum of $5.8 million.<\/p>\n
\nfreeze order on the account of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, after
\ninitially ordering a temporary forfeiture of N75 million found in his
\nGuarantee Trust Bank account. Further, a High Court of the Federal Capital
\nTerritory discharged a judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja of all
\n18-count charges of fraud brought against him, his wife and a senior
\nlawyer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"