*PACA:
Counsels, clients manipulating courts
The chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee
Against Corruption (PACA), Professor Itse Sagay, (SAN), has disclosed that some
countries, where some corrupt Nigerians went to hide stolen loot, have promised
to return such money.
Speaking in Ikeja yesterday during interaction
session with media practitioners and members of Civil Society Organisation(CSO),
while revealing activities of PACA in the last one year, Sagay said that some
countries, including Switzerland, United States of America and United Kingdom
(UK), have promised to return Nigerian stolen funds, hidden in their countries.
According to Sagay, this became possible because
these foreign countries believe and have faith in the administration of the
President Muhammadu Buhari and his anti-corruption war.
He said: “We’re also involved in the whole
processing of tracing loots hidden all over the world. It’s been a busy year for
us. There had been challenges. We’ve justified the establishment of the
committee. I can mention two or even three countries which had agreed to return
stolen loot, hidden and traced to their countries; Switzerland has cooperated
very well, United States of America and UK too.”
Asked the amount recovered from the three countries,
Sagay said: “ I can’t tell you how much.”
He also revealed that the Presidency had accepted
PACA’s recommendation that a special
court to try corruption and other related cases be created.
While explaining that PACA has done a lot of
interaction with judges in order to enhance their capacity, so they could
handle corruption cases, Sagay noted that professionals were brought from
different countries to train the judges.
Speaking on banks that ignored certain laws
concerning TSA, Sagay said that such banks support and hide stolen money for
corrupt Nigerians.
He said that since such banks have refused to obey
the law, they were liable and their managers could be arrested.
He said: “ Refusing to follow laws on TSA by banks
is a criminal offence. If such banks are found out, they would be prosecuted.”
Reacting to a participant who accused him of talking
too much, Sagay said he would never shut up on corruption issues. He said that
reporters asking him questions were part of corruption fighters.
On complicity of lawmakers in corruption, Professor Femi
Odekunle, chairman of the interactive session and member of PACA, accused some
lawmakers of being criminals.
He opined that some lawmakers are beneficiaries of
corruption. He noted that PACA once organized an interaction session with
lawmakers, but after the opening ceremony, the lawmakers disappeared. He argued
that Nigerians can’t and shouldn’t rely on the lawmakers in the fight against corruption.
He said: “Rather than depend on lawmakers in the
fight against corruption, people should educate and energized the populace.”
He urged Nigerian Labour Union to embark on strikes
and protest, to demand to know what lawmakers were doing with Nigeria money and
the reasons governance was costing so much. He further opined that labour union
was not doing enough in the fight
against corruption.
The Executive Secretary of PACA, Professor Bolaji
Owasanoye, said that high profile corruption cases do not drag long in courts
because of poor investigations as alleged by some people.
His words: “High profile corruption cases are
delayed in courts or dragged, not because of poor investigation, but because
defense counsels and their clients are manipulating the courts and the courts are playing along.
Many of them are dragging the cases, hoping that Buhari will leave office and
the cases would be forgotten.”
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