#DasukiGate: It’s No Longer Business As Usual, Plea Bargain Is Unlikely - FG

Contrary to what was widely assumed, the Federal Government may not be entertaining the idea of plea bargain deals for some of the suspects found complicit in the alleged diversion of $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase.

The government has expressed its intention to recover every looted fund, owing to the fact that plea bargains often times allows looters get away with stolen public assets.

Abubakar Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, revealed to Vanguard over the weekend, that the era of plea bargains is over in Nigeria.

The minister was quoted to have said that the looters of arms procurement funds would be made to return their embezzled loot and also taken to trial for their crimes.

”Let me just make it clear to all that under the present administration, it is no longer business-as-usual. As at today, a lot of measures are being put in place to recover the loot which a few privileged Nigerians stole and stashed away.

“It is an article of obligation under the law of the Federal Government of Nigeria to convict the looters and recover the amount traced to each of them to show the disdain that this government has for corruption and to serve as a warning signal that nobody is authorised to steal the commonwealth of Nigerians under any guise.”

Furthermore, Malami was also quoted to have said that the Fifth Schedule of the Nigerian Constitution allows the government to convict the accused persons and also take steps to recover their assets.

Article 11 of the 5th Schedule of the Constitution says: “Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, every public officer shall within three months after coming into force of this Code of Conduct or immediately after taking office, and thereafter, (a) at the end of every four years and (b) at the end of his terms of office, submit to the Code of Conduct Bureau, a written declaration of all his properties, assets and liabilities and those of his unmarried children under the age of 18 years.

“Any statement in such declaration that is found to be false by any authority or person authorised in that behalf to verify it shall be deemed to be in breach of this Code.

“Any property or assets acquired by a public officer after any declaration required under this constitution and which is not fairly attributable to income, gift, or loan approved by this code, shall be deemed to have been acquired in breach of this code unless the contrary is proved”.