#DJCP_EFCC chairman blasts prominent lawyers

– Ibrahim Magu, the EFCC boss, accused prominent lawyers of frustrating the ongoing war against corruption

– According to him, the lawyers help those who commit crimes by furnishing them with technical knowledge of how to escape prosecution

– Magy denied allegations that the anti-corruption campaign was one-sided and biased

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Ibrahim Magu, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has accused prominent lawyers of frustrating the ongoing war against corruption.

Leadership reports that the EFCC boss took a swipe at members of the inner bar on Wednesday, February 10, when the national executive of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) paid him a courtesy call in his office at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

According to him, these prominent lawyers help those who commit crimes by furnishing them with technical knowledge of how to escape the long arms of the law and how to hide the loot.

Threfore, Magu concluded that some persons in its fold were not fit to be called lawyers.

“We must tell ourselves the truth: there are lawyers within the fold of the NBA who ought not to be among your noble ranks. Those people are not fit to be called ministers; rather, they are vandals of the temple of justice,” he said.

The EFCC boss noted that the burden of expectation is lying on the shoulders of those of them at the anti-graft agency. However, he added that Nigerians are expecting so much from the legal practitioners as well.

“While we are mindful of the fact that there may be more than one side to a situation which are equally deserving of robust representation and defence, we believe that no matter the positions we take on any issue, Nigeria should come first.

“It is you who say that justice should be a three-way street: justice to the victim, justice to the perpetrator of the crime and justice to the society. But society is not served when prominent members of the Bar not only take clearly tainted briefs but even facilitate the commission of crimes by knowingly supplying the technical know-how, and, later, helping in the dispersal of the proceeds of crime,” he said.

Magu further explained that the war against economic and financial crimes is fought on a number of flanks such as fraud, corruption and money laundering.

“However, there is no flank from which the war is waged that the input and effects of professionals such as lawyers, bankers and journalists is not felt, either as part of the problem or as critical ingredients in the solution mix.

“Law enforcement, just as the judiciary, encompassing the bar and bench, is a critical link in the justice delivery system of any society. The two, whilst they operate independently of one another, cannot afford, in the interest of the society, to pull in divergent directions.

“I dare say that even when opinions and tactics differ, the interests of the two blocs cannot but converge on the overriding interest of the people.

“It was along that line that I pledged on my appointment (and have maintained ever since), that I would discharge my duties as the head of the EFCC, guided solely by the fear of Almighty God, the overriding interest of our fatherland, Nigeria and the Rule of Law.

“I have tried to keep faith with those principles, in appreciation of the enormous burden placed on my shoulders by Mr. President and the huge expectations of ordinary Nigerians,” he said.

Magu assured Nigerians that the EFCC was totally committed to the war against corruption and money laundering.

Denying allegations that the anti-corruption campaign was one-sided and biased, the EFCC chairman said:

“We all know that crimes have no political affiliation. And the victims of crimes such as money laundering, embezzlement, diversion of funds and fraud are the ordinary Nigerians, even you and me.

“Furthermore, is it a defence in law to say that one individual indicted of any of these crimes should not be prosecuted because another individual who is perceived to be corrupt has not yet been prosecuted? As officers in the temple of justice, I enjoin you all to join in the campaign against corruption.”

Meanwhile, former national secretary of Labour Party and Human Right Lawyer, Kayode Ajulo, has criticized President Muhammadu Buhari for politicization of the anti-corruption campaign.

According to the lawyer, the anti-corruption crusade should not be biased and selective as being presently carried out by the Buhari’s administration.

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