The Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mr Ibrahim Magu is set to reopen the trial of high profile politicians whose corruption cases had either been delayed or put in abeyance as a result of court injunctions. Not even those who were granted perpetual injunction by the courts would be spared.
It is alleged that Dr. Peter Odili, former governor of Rivers State, would be affected by the current resolve of the EFCC to reopen old corrupt cases. The perpetual injunction was granted by Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court. It barred the EFCC from investigating his eight-year tenure over alleged graft. The commission’s appeal against the perpetual injunction has not made progress since it was instituted over four years ago.
The reopening of the old cases would be facilitated by the new Criminal Justice Administration Act of 2015 that has removed the stumbling blocks to prosecuting those who looted the nation’s treasury. “Let it be made clear that the EFCC will go after all cases that are deserving of investigation. There is nothing like perpetual injunctions anymore in our criminal administration justice code. We have a duty to investigate all cases since we are empowered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to investigate all such corruption-related cases and that is what we are asked to do. We are empowered by Section 15 of the new Criminal Justice Administration Act to investigate all cases irrespective of injunctions. We cannot be stopped,” said an EFCC source.
By Dike Onwuamaeze