Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has stated that,
\n\u201cthe acquittal yesterday of the Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code
\nof Conduct Tribunal (CCT) of corruption charges suggests serious
\nshortcomings in the criminal justice system, and means that a
\ncomplementary and supportive mechanism in the form of a UN-backed
\ncommission against corruption and impunity in Nigeria is urgently needed
\nto achieve President Muhammadu Buhari\u2019s oft-stated anti-corruption
\nagenda.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organization urges \u201cthe Acting President Professor Yemi Osinbajo to
\nurgently and proactively pursue the establishment of a UN-backed
\nInternational Commission Against Corruption and Impunity to assist our
\ncriminal justice system to effectively and efficiently investigate and
\nprosecute high-level corruption cases in the country, like it happened in
\nGuatemala, for example. This government needs help in its fight against
\ncorruption, and strong leadership is now needed to urgently design a
\ncomplementary and supportive plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CCT yesterday dismissed the 18-count charge of false asset declaration
\nagainst Saraki following his no-case submission. But SERAP in a statement
\ntoday by its deputy director Timothy Adewale said that, \u201cThe acquittal of
\nMr Saraki has exposed deep flaws in the country\u2019s legal framework against
\ncorruption, and seriously weakened any notion of accountability of
\nhigh-ranking public officials accused of corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to SERAP, \u201cA UN-backed commission would help to improve our
\ncriminal justice system in the short, medium and long terms so that it
\nwould be better able to prosecute complex grand corruption cases. It would
\nalso meet the longstanding and legitimate demands of the Nigerian people
\nfor vigorous and meaningful action against corrupt leaders, past or
\npresent.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement read in part: \u201cSupporting a strong partnership between
\nNigerian prosecutors and international law enforcement experts would show
\nthat the authorities have the ability and political will to chip away at
\nthe country\u2019s corruption and impunity of perpetrators, and help address
\nNigerians\u2019 scepticism about the viability of the anti-corruption agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFurther, to end a culture of corruption and impunity of perpetrators, we
\nurge the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice Mr
\nAbubakar Malami, SAN to urgently take over the prosecution of the
\ncorruption case against Mr Saraki by ensuring that the CCT decision is
\nurgently appealed and that the case is diligently prosecuted within the
\nlimits of the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe outcome of the Saraki\u2019s case sends a damaging message that suspected
\ncorrupt leaders can get away with their crimes, while keeping their stolen
\nassets. Many would-be corrupt leaders may now see engaging in acts of
\ncorruption a risk worth taking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Guatemalan commission established by the UN in 2006 has a strong
\nrecord of fighting organized crime and high-level corruption and the
\nNigerian authorities can learn valuable lessons from its operation and
\nachievements in the efforts to take the fight against corruption in this
\ncountry to another level.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has stated that, \u201cthe acquittal yesterday of the Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) of corruption charges suggests serious…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n