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ICPC convicts 16 Nigerians, lists hurdles to anti graft war
- By Lawrence Njoku (Enugu) - posted on Wednesday 22nd July 2009 The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) said it has convicted 16 Nigerians in its nine years of operation.
The Commission added that it has filed 200 criminal cases in court involving 379 persons across the socio-economic divides of the country.
It further stressed that the slow criminal judicial process and cumbersome act that set up the Commission had hindered its effective operations.
It lamented that the slow criminal judicial process was a major challenge to the enforcement function as, according to it, the legal gymnastics surrounding interlocutory injunctions cause great delay and stall the trial of the substantive matter.
It, however, expressed delight that the amendment of the Act 2000 as proposed by the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption was addressing the problem by giving room for the continuance of the trial of substantive allegations of graft even in the face of interlocutory injunctions.
Chairman of the Commission, Justice Emmanuel O. Ayoola, who disclosed this in Enugu yesterday during a seminar for religious leaders in Enugu State, added that skepticism among Nigerians, victimisation of informants to the Commission, especially by people in public offices were major challenges being faced by the ICPC in the execution of her mandate.
He stated that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had prosecuted and convicted more people over corruption than the ICPC, following the existence of interlocutory injunctions in the act setting up the Commission, stressing that the EFCC act does not condone interlocutory injunctions.
He said: "Defence lawyers have always relied on this option to delay prosecution of offenders and will continue to move from one motion to another in their bid to get the accused out of court."
Represented by Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa, the head of Education of the Commission, Ayoola stated that at various times it was confronted with cases of people, who after providing useful information to the Commission on various levels of corruption were either sacked from their places of work or get killed. He stressed that it had resulted in the reluctance of people coming with such reports or refusing to give evidence in court.
He recalled the establishment of anti-graft agencies by the past administration in the country, stressing that attitude of Nigerians towards the operations of the commissions was responsible for their poor performances, even as he added that the ICPC having survived in the last eight years was sure to win the war on corruption.
For instance, he said that the current rating on corruption yet to be published has seen the country's ranking dropped drastically, stressing it was the effort of well-meaning individuals and organisations, who believed that the country needed to be corrupt-free.
He however, told the religious leaders that the essence of the seminar was to keep them abreast of the operations of the Commission, as one that must be collectively carried out in the interest of the country.
"In year 2007, an NGO called SERAC wrote the ICPC urging us to investigate the UBEC, that the funds being allocated to it have not been utilised. We launched into action and were able to recover over N200 million among others. This is the kind of partnership that we are looking for. It is all about us and we feel you should use the Bible and Koran to change the negative mindset of our people over corrupt tendencies", he said.
He insisted that wherever corruption exists, there was the likelihood of injustice and inequity and implored the religious leaders to continue to preach the virtues of Christianity and Islam and pray always for the unity and development of the country.
In their separate presentations, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Islamic Council of Nigeria, gave their support to the work of the Commission, stressing however, that greed and poverty ravaging the land had given rise to corruption in the country. They therefore called on the government to find ways of ameliorating the sufferings of the people.
News Source: The Guardian
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