Tina Amanda
The Economic and Financial Crime Commission EFCC says it has gotten the court to forfeit to the Nigerian government a sum of seven hundred and fifty-five million naira, which was recovered from a former accountant general of the federation and three luxury properties worth millions of naira recovered from Colonel Bello Fadie, a former aide to erstwhile National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
The Executive Chairman, EFCC Abdulrasheed Bawa, disclosed this during a workshop on financial crimes reporting organised by the Commission for Journalists in Rivers State, said EFCC is making tremendous progress in the fight against corruption, especially in the area of assets recovery.
The EFCC Boss, who was represented by the Assistant Commander EFCC Port Harcourt Zone, Nwanneka Nwokike, noted that the Commission could not achieve total success in fighting crimes without a concerted effort from the media in reporting cases of corruption to the EFCC.
“Many of you may be aware of the strides we have recorded in the fight against corruption, especially in the area of assets recovery. We also secured the interim forfeiture of forty (40) assets in Nigeria, United States of America, London and Dubai, belonging to former Deputy Senate President Ike
Ekweremadu.
“Two weeks earlier, another court issued a final forfeiture order of two properties situated in Abuja belonging to Diezani Alison- Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources. These are just a few of the assets recovered for the Federal government of Nigeria this year.
“In the area of prosecution of cases in court, we are also making progress despite the antics of some defendants to delay trials. From January to 18th November 2022, EFCC has recorded three thousand three hundred and twenty-eight (3328) convictions. This number is rising because cases are expected to be concluded in the remaining five weeks of the year.
“Remarkable as this feat is, we are not resting on our oars. We believe there is still work to be done, which is why we are actively seeking the support of all
stakeholders, including the media.
“The anti-corruption campaign requires a concerted effort. I enjoin members of the public, including the media, to be part of this effort by reporting cases of corruption to the EFCC”.
Also, in his paper presentation on “Challenges of Prosecuting Economic and Financial Crimes in Nigeria” the Assistant Commander EFCC, Simon Ibekwute, said most challenges and frustration encountered by the Commission in the prosecution of financial crime cases has to do with the judiciary especially in transfer of Judges, series of court adjourments as well as religion and ethnicity that comes to play.
“Success of a prosecutor before a court trying to put economic and financial crime fellow away depends on these factors; tackling of witness prosecution where the nominal complaints is no longer willing to prosecute the case. Transfer of Judges, especially in important hampers cases.
“Unless you have to apply to the Chief Judge of the federal high Court to allow that judge on assignment to come back because you have to start putting up for new witnesses, evidence. At a time, there will be no more witnesses, some of them may have been dead or even given up or frustrated; these are part of the problems we have, is not like we are magicians.
“Some Judges are not helping matters, several adjournments here and there; a trial should be on a daily basis; no trial should get more than five adjournments. Same as Defence lawyers who come to court proceedings asking for dates and make frivolous applications, and section 40 of the EFCC Act is subject to these actions.
“There is financial constraint, funding; we have to train the lawyers, train the prosecutors who investigate this case and the lawyers who prosecute this case. The government is the only source of revenue atimes donor agencies come in.
“We must have competent prosecutors EFCC have the best lawyers. In the case of MBA FOREX Trade fraud, we were able to freeze about four hundred and forty-five accounts, and some of the bank accounts were later unfrozen after a thorough investigation was carried out.
“Other challenges we encounter in prosecuting criminal cases is when ethnicity and religion come to play in fighting corruption. It is not as if EFCC is not competent; we are very much competent in doing our job.
“Jurisdictional issues in the case of Ibori trial, which was filed in Kaduna State, there was jurisdiction problem in bringing his witnesses as they would not be available, we had our reasons for filing that case there. The welfare of the people is the paramount law not and individual.
“In cybercrimes, the law is made so that the Defendant can be tried in court”.
On his part, presenting a paper titled: Best Practices in Financial Crimes Reporting, Assistant Commander EFCC one, Dele Oyewale, maintained that journalism in this part of the world is not taking pace with what is evolving as crimes are either underreported, unreported and unfollowed.
“Concerning unreported Crimes, the media is supposed to be breaking stories; what we call breaking stories are not. We are supposed to mention the unmentionables; we are supposed to go beyond the rob of smoke and ashes; we are supposed to uncover what is being covered and be several Miles ahead in our reporting so that anti-corruption agencies are supposed to be getting stories from the media.
“For instance, in this part of the country Niger Delta we know that cases of illegal oil bunkering is very rampant; media in this region should come forward with a major report on cases of illegal bunkering. Such as: what is happening in the Creeks, how what is happening in the Creeks are happening, the players in the creek, how they are doing their job, their methodology, things they are using; nobody has come up with such report.
“The Ponzi scheme we are talking about, how come we only wait till the crime is committed? We see lots of people around town living frivolous lifestyles, and nobody has reported it; we see Ponzi schemes everywhere duping people, and no journalist has dug deep to ask questions.
“Nobody has come to us with a major report we can work upon; there are quite a number of economic and financial crimes that are not reported by the media”.
