EFCC not to blame over none convictions of ex-governors-Lamorde

Juliana Francis
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, yesterday said that Nigerians should stop
casting blames on the EFCC over long stalling of trials and none
convictions of cases involving ex-governors and politicians, which are
still in courts.  This was even as he denied stories going round that
the EFCC was broke and that the financial situation was affecting the
trial of cases in court.
The EFCC chairman, who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Mr. Kayode
Oladele, at the EFCC’s workshop on Reporting Economic Crimes, held in
Ikeja, Lagos State, said that Nigerians should be beam their light on
the judiciary, not on EFCC, adding that there was little or nothing
the commission could do once a case had been charged to court.
He explained that for an effective fight against corruption,
Nigerians, especially members of the media, needed to have a talk with
the judiciary and lawyers. He said that it was only Nigeria that an
accused person would not want nor prays for speedy trial, while in
other clime, the reverse is the case.
Lamorde kicked against the perpetual injunction given to former
governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili and Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah of
Capital oil.
His words: “Immediately the order was granted and permanent injunction
was granted by the judge, we filed an appeal, because to us, it was
the most incredible order any judge could give, particularly in a
public interest case that involves corruption and a high profile
corruption. How will you, for Goodness sake, grant a permanent
injunction, from a person being   investigated or prosecuted by any
agency? I think it’s a way of making sure that somebody is protected
from the law.
“We immediately filed an appeal five years ago and up to now, we had
not been heard. This year alone, we’ve filed over 300 cases. Our
mandate is so wide, but most of the time when people are talking, they
are looking only politically exposed persons. They believe that’s the
only thing we’re doing. But we have a lot we are doing. In a year, we
receive a minimum of 8000 petitions. Some of them we handled, some of
them we referred to other agencies that we feel are competent to
handle them. Some are frivolous that we have to dispose.”
Fielding question from journalists on the issue that EFCC was broke
and the financial was affecting cases in court, Lamorde it was not
true, adding “EFCC is not broke.”
He added that cases charged to court by the EFCC, which were later
struck out, should also not be blamed on the investigators.
“It’s unfair to say that improper investigation is the bane of
everything. In the first place, you don’t take people to court because
you had adjudged them guilty. You take people to court because you
feel there’s a minimum misconduct, at least a prima facia case. When
the court feels that the person has no case, that person has to be
discharged and acquitted if possible. And it’s not because the
investigator did not do his investigation very well, but it’s because
of, based on what had been said in the case, the person has no case to
answer.”