The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders has lauded efforts by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission to reopen investigation into the $180million Siemens and Halliburton scams.
The anti-graft non-governmental organisation said reopening the cases would ensure diligent prosecution of all culprits and enable the country to get more of the looted funds from the United States.
The Federal Government had reportedly ordered security operatives to revisit the Halliburton scandal involving Nigerians who received bribes from the international company.
The last administration led by former President Goodluck Jonathan had reportedly made attempts to probe into the cases but its efforts were allegedly thwarted by some officials.
The American government’s report on the Halliburton bribery scandal had indicted former presidents, a minister, intelligence chiefs and corporate giants in the list of bribery beneficiaries.
In a statement on Friday, the Executive Chairman, CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, commended the EFCC under the leadership of its Acting Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, for reopening the bribery cases.
This, he said, “was practically demonstrated yesterday when the EFCC had to send somebody down from Abuja to make CACOL adopt the petition it (the coalition) wrote since 2011. That signals the seriousness to which the EFCC is treating the case.”
Adeniran added, “The EFCC showed initial enthusiasm to prosecute the culprits until we discovered the involvement of the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
CACOL urged the EFCC and other security agencies that would be involved in the fresh investigation to ensure that diligent prosecution is made.
“We also urge the EFCC to file appropriate charges against anyone found to have abused his office in this matter at the end of investigation. No stone should be left unturned in the case, so that Nigerian will no longer be the laughing stock to the comity of nations,” Adeniran added.
