SAN FRANCISCO, June 24, (THEWILL) – Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay has debunked the belief in some quarters that President Muhammadu Buhari was personally involved in the fight against corruption, insisting that the ongoing anti-corruption campaign was not a witch-hunt.
He spoke the same Thursday that embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) told the Federal High Court in Abuja that he is being persecuted by some “powerful people” in the country for perceived grievances they held against him while he served in the military several years ago.
Though Dasuki did not mention any particular person, he insisted that the punishment being meted out on him is unfortunate because it is borne out of mere vendetta, adding that he had rested the case in God’s hands for the ultimate judgment.
The former NSA, who spoke through his counsel, Joseph Daudu SAN while reacting to the government’s request for his secret trial, said “It is crystal clear that the defendant (Dasuki) is being punished by the powers that be for the perceived offenses committed long before… we leave them to the Almighty God for His ultimate judgment.”
Sagay however spoke in Lagos at the 2016 Lecture and Award Ceremony of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents, NAJUC, Lagos State Chapter, which was themed: “The Judiciary, Media, Anti-graft Agencies and the Fight Against Corruption.”
“I am involved in the anti-corruption struggle, I have never received a call from the President giving me instructions on anything, he has assigned responsibilities and he is facing the governance of the country which is what he was elected for.
“We regard corruption cases from the last administration as low hanging fruits because they are the most obvious and have the most impact in terms of resolution,” the PACC chairman stated.
Noting that the number of corruption cases unearthed within the last nine months by anti-graft agencies was mind-boggling and unprecedented in the nation’s history, he asked: “How is it possible for the welfare of Nigerians to be improved when we are digging ourselves out of a hole created by the past administration?
“If this government had not taken over when it did, we would have been treading the path of Zimbabwe in terms of inflation,” Sagay said, adding that “My committee has concluded the drawing up of the Special Crimes Act for judges who will be specifically selected to adjudicate special crimes such as financial crimes, kidnapping, cyber crimes and drugs.”
He said the committee had made various reforms that would tremendously aid the speedy dispensation of justice of high profile corruption cases in the country.
The Senior Advocate continued: “We have created a new manual for prosecution of financial cases which will give prosecutors a step by step process for prosecution.
“We have recommended that for effective prosecution, the prosecution should be made up of a team comprising an investigator, prosecutor and other lawyers.
“A series of workshops have been organised by the committee for 180 prosecutors across the country in which we brought in a number of experts to teach them how to draft charges to prevent the charges being faulted in court.”
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