Why ICPC Can't Investigate Govs, By Akanbi
From Lillian Okenwa in Abuja
Chairman of the Indepen-dent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offen-ces Commission (ICPC), Justice Mustapha Akanbi (Rtd.), yesterday said despite several petitions written against some state governors he is handicapped. Reason? The ICPC Act did not empower the Commission to investigate the governors involved in corrupt practices.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Akanbi also disclosed that though no governor has been directly linked to corrupt practices, links have been made to persons suspected to be their agents and that such persons would be prosecuted.
Noting that what the law requires was for the Commission to request that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) appoint an independent counsel, Akanbi said that when that option was explored after a petition against the Governor of Bayelsa state, Chief Diepreye Alamieseagha, the matter failed in court.
According to Akanbi, the court not only made an order halting further investigations and proceedings in the matter but the CJN, Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, and others were sued over the matter.
To make matters worse, he said, the commission's prime witness suddenly withdrew.
He also expressed concern that the courts are giving more attention to election cases while neglecting the pending anti-corruption cases.
Akanbi said part of the ICPC constraint was the attitude of the courts to cases of corruption and described the situation as disheartening.
He, however, disclosed that the commission has filed for accelerated hearing in all pending cases in courts while suggesting that anti-corruption cases be given urgent attention. He expressed concern that the Supreme Court's decision, which held that the 90 days prescribed by ICPC law amounted to tying the court's hands, could prolong cases unduly.
He again restated the need to have designated judges handling anti-graft cases, as some may not have the strength of character to tackle them.
Akanbi said poor funding was crippling the commission's activities.
He said the ICPC has received only N1.5 billion from the Federal Government since its inception. The ICPC boss and former President, Court of Appeal, revealed that though the commission receives the sum of N500 million every year it was given N487 million this year.
He also expressed the ICPC's inability to investigate some top Nigerians who illegally transfer funds abroad due to lack of funds to travel.
Besides, he said promises made to increase the commission's budget have not been redeemed.
Akanbi who disclosed that Hong Kong with a population of six million people has the budgetary allocation of $12 per head every year to fight corruption and about 1,200 investigators said Nigeria budgets only 3 cents per head while the Commission boasts of only 26 investigators.
Akanbi said the ICPC has started hiring Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) in prosecuting very high profile matters and expressed concern over what he described as the exorbitant fees charged by this class of lawyers.
He challenged the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA)to join forces with the commission in the anti-corruption campaign, adding that in his days as a lawyer, the kind of fees charged by Senior Advocates today were non-existent.
Akanbi also disclosed that since inception, the ICPC has not received any petition against any former Head of Government, adding that even if any comes, the law allows the commission to investigate only offences committed since June 13, 2000 when the ICPC Act came into force.
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