The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has said those found guilty of corruption should not be granted state pardon.
Fagbemi, who also advised law enforcement agencies against shoddy investigations, tasked them to have their facts before summoning anyone for questioning.
In a statement by the Special Assistant to the President on Communication and Publicity, Office of the AGF, Kamarudeen Ogundele, on Monday, in Abuja, the AGF stressed that the cooperation of everyone was needed to fight corruption.
According to the statement, the AGF spoke at a roundtable organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for state attorneys general in Abuja on Monday.
The statement quoted the minister as saying, “I will suggest in our next constitution review exercise that we expunge those found guilty of corruption from benefiting from powers of ‘prerogative of mercy’ to serve as a deterrent to others.
“The cooperation of all stakeholders, especially the AGs, is crucial in the fight against corruption.”
The PUNCH reports that under the immediate-past administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, ex-governors of Plateau and Taraba states, Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, respectively, who were convicted and jailed for corruption, were pardoned by the Federal Government.
Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan also granted state pardon to his political godfather and ex-Bayelsa State governor, Dipreye Alamieyeseigha, who was convicted of corruption.
Faghemi, according to the Monday statement, advised the state attorneys general to eschew nepotism, political witch-hunt, rivalry, and bigotry in the fight against corruption just because they want to please their governors.
While adding that there should be no basis for rationalising corruption or crimes, Fagbemi noted that legal opinions on cases must be based on the facts as practised in the advanced countries.
“We should not give in to public sentiments. In Nigeria, we are polarised along political lines,” he said.
The AGF advised participants and anti-graft agencies to conduct thorough investigations of cases before arresting suspects to avoid media trials.
He said: “Let us be thorough and take our time before inviting someone for questioning. Don’t do a shoddy job and be quick to say we have caught a big fish…You will catch a big fish. If it is two or three big fishes you are able to get in a year and you are thorough, it is alright.”
The AGF also counselled against filing bogus charges against defendants just to generate frenzy in the public against the suspect.
“Nobody wants 50 counts…make it five or six and be sure. Make sure you get him (suspect) in,” he advised.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.