Federal justice ministry frustrating anti-graft fight — Falana

 

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, on Thursday, said the Federal Ministry of Justice had yet to prosecute a corruption case since 2015.

He added that the Ministry had deliberately ended many corruption cases in the court by filing an application called Nolle Prosequi, which means the government is not willing to prosecute them anymore.

He spoke at the HEDA Resource Centers anti-corruption situation room titled ‘State of Anti-corruption in Nigeria: Assessment of 2021 and Agenda for 2022’.

Falana said, “The ministry of justice has not prosecuted one corruption case since 2015. The president must be told this. On the contrary, some of the cases are deliberately destroyed by the ministry through what they call prosecution Nolle Prosequi.

“That is if somebody has stolen N20B an application would be filled in the court by the Attorney General saying we are not willing to prosecute. The use of this must stop if we want to fight corruption, let everyone be taken to court and convince the court that he has no case to answer.“

Falana also said without the passage of all pending anti-corruption bills at the national assembly the regime would not be taken seriously with its fight against corruption.

He said, “Without the passage of all pending Anti-graft bills at the national assembly, this regime cannot be taken seriously in its fight against corruption.”

Also, speaking, Former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes, Kayode Oladele, described the arrest of the suspended Abba Kyari as a ploy to deny him from being extradited.

He said many politicians had deployed the strategy in the past.