The Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Francis Ben Kaifala, has blamed judges in Nigeria and Africa for the difficulty anti-corruption agencies face in securing convictions in criminal cases.
Kaifala made this statement in Abuja on Tuesday during his address as the keynote speaker at the End of Year Engagement, marking one year in office for the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu.
According to him: “We all know that part of the reason why we are having difficulty succeeding in the fight against corruption is because the judges, who are supposed to be the teeth of the fight against corruption, are not providing enough bite. They give sentences that are minimal; they let go of criminals.”
He asserted: “We will continue to have complications in fighting corruption, and that is because corruption is not made expensive enough.”
He added: “We have to support institutions that fight corruption in Africa. We have to support the leaders who fight corruption in Africa.
“But most importantly, we have to be daring—very daring—to think outside the box and introduce policies and principles based on common sense, based on the corruption culture in our countries.
“Because it works elsewhere does not necessarily mean it will work here, but if we consider the cultures and practices of our respective countries and introduce policies that work, I believe Africa will be ready to confront the 21st century better as a continent, winning in the final discussion.”