A Legal Practitioner, Emeka Ngige (SAN), has hinted a review of the investigation approach of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), if any success must be recorded in Nigeria’s fight against corruption.
He made this known while addressing the opinion that the Federal Government has lost a string of cases almost in quick successions; a situation which some have described as embarrassing.
Analysing the perception which the case now gives to the EFCC, he noted that it is too early for anyone to say the prosecution was incompetent or that they didn’t do their homework well because according to him, it is still likely to be appealed against.
He however stated that the EFCC may not have not done their homework properly, because the institution was under pressure.
“They have not done their homework, in rushing to charge – but the institution was under pressure, because of the public interest generated by that raid, they were under pressure to immediately file charges.”
One of such cases, was that of Justice Adeniyi Ademola and his wife, over 18-count criminal charges filed against them by the Federal Government which the court struck out.
He, however, said that he was handicapped in making a full analysis of the judgement of the FCT High Court. Also, he noted that going by information from the media, it appeared that the judge relied on series of admissions made by the prosecution witness in the course of his cross examination.
“From what I read, it appears that the prosecution witness answered most of the questions to favour the accused persons, so those admissions may have led his lordship in saying that there is no case for the accused person to answer.”
The Department of State Services had accused Justice Ademola of receiving 30 million Naira from a senior lawyer, through a Guarantee Trust Bank account allegedly operated by his wife, a former Head of Service in Lagos State.
The Presidency was said to have considered Justice Okeke’s judgement as a strange outcome which is capable of undermining the war against corruption.
