file for some grey areas to be cleared.
Consequently, there are indications that a quick end to the Farouk Lawan bribery saga may take longer than expected to be resolved as the grey areas expected to be cleared, would take more investigations and time to clear, a situation described as ‘unending investigation’ by a Police source.
The source noted that the office of the AGF has already given fiat to private legal practitioner and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Gboyega Awomolo to prosecute the case but that to make it water tight, there was need to secure the video recordings of the collection of the bribe money, which has been done with the SSS returning it to the AGF who handed same to the Police.
Aside the video clips however, the issue of getting the serial numbers of the dollars which were marked money is yet to be resolved as the source said the SSS has been foot-dragging on that aspect even after the Police wrote several letters requesting SSS to furnish it with the duplicate recordings of the marked money to assist their investigations.
Saturday Vanguard further leant that clarification is needed as to the controversy over the claim by Farouk Lawan that handed over the $620, 000 to Chairman of the Committee on Narcotics, Drugs and Financial Crimes, Hon. Adams Jagaba who has since denied collecting any such money from the embattled Farouk.
The reason according to the source, has to do with the fact that while Farouk wrote that he handed over the money to Jagaba at about 3 am in the early hours of the day at a venue, Jagaba countered that it could not have been possible as everybody knows, he takes his drugs by 3 am, would be fast asleep by then and couldn’t have gone anywhere.
To clear this grey area, it was leant that the Police was asked to investigate Jagaba’s medical records to determine if his defence is watertight. Furthermore, the prosecution wants the photocopy of the complaint Femi Otedola made to the SSS which has not been handed to the Police.
There are the reasons why the case file was returned for further investigation even as it was observed that the embattled Lawan has continued to report to Force headquarters in fulfillment of his bail conditions.
The source disclosed that it is only when these grey areas are cleared that investigations will be deemed concluded and the charges can be filed in the law court.
Recall that Chief Femi Otedola had petitioned the IG of Police accusing Hon. Farouk Lawan of demanding the sum of $3million from him but collecting the sum of $620, 000, with a view to delete his company’s name from the list of indicted fuel marketers.
Corruption: CJN blames AGF for delay in prosecution of high profile cases
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, Wednesday, blamed the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, for unwittingly contributing to undue delay in the prosecution of high profile cases of corruption in the country.
The CJN who stated this on a day she administered oath on 25 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria, insisted that “the courts cannot on their own prosecute criminal cases,” noting that “on the streets of Nigeria and beyond, the cry for justice lingers.
According to the CJN, “the administration of justice is not confined to the courts; it encompasses officers of the law and others whose duties are necessary to ensure that the courts function effectively.
Besides, Justice Mukhtar who equally used the occasion to flag-off the 2012/2013 legal year of the Supreme Court, stressed that “the society can operate under the rule of law only if laws are administered fairly, rationally, consistently, impartially and devoid of any improper influences that may be inconsistent with each of these objectives,” adding “without judicial independence, there can be no preservation of democratic values.”
She said: “the prison system for instance presents a horrific state that calls for urgent attention. There are presently an estimated number of 40, 000 prisoners in Nigeria with about two thirds of this population not convicted. Perhaps the Amnesty International is correct for laying blame on the Nigerian judiciary. Unnecessary adjournments of cases along with the attendant ills of the courts to ensure that inmates are tried within a reasonable time, comes into play here.
Editors note
By Section 174 CFRN 1999, some are crusading to amend, (some also suggest a separation of the offices of AGF from MoJ), Adoke presently reserves the constitutional powers to institute, undertake, continue or discontinue criminal prosecutions in the hands of the Chief Law Officer of the Federation.
The AGF exercises the wide discretionary powers to call for case file(s). All AGFs have the power to walk into EFCC, ICPC, IGP's office and demand for files and reserve the right to decide "in public interest" - Oh how the word is abused. The DPP is an officer under the AGF.
So the police hands in the file sometimes before the AGF asks for it. During Ribadu's regime as Chair EFCC, the AGF at the time Chief Bayo Ojo SAN under OBJ couldn't interfer with Ribadu's work but you saw that subsequent AGF interferred from Aondoakaa to Adoke and Ribadu to Farida and now Lamorde who is silent upon being transformed from anti-graft czar Ribadu's partner to an arm-chair EFCC head. Same Lamorde turned lame duck!.
AGF Adoke SAN donated his fiat to Awomolo SAN to prosecute this matter and now this?
This is the problem!
Mr President Jonathan, you read distinguished Hon. CJN, please note that Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, is NOT, never going to be prosecution-ready.
Send him back to his private law practice, he has two chambers - Kano and Abuja; has made more than enough!
Your Excellency, embarrassed your government enough!!
He has lowered FG's anti-graft posturing enough!!!
Mr. President Jonathan, sack AG Adoke, sack him now!
Best if you truly want a 2nd term, sack him this moment.
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