Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, has stated that individuals convicted of corruption should not receive state pardons.
Fagbemi also urged law enforcement agencies to avoid incomplete investigations and ensure they have all necessary evidence before summoning individuals for questioning.
In a statement released by Kamarudeen Ogundele, the Special Assistant to the President on Communication and Publicity for the Office of the AGF, Fagbemi highlighted the need for collective effort in the fight against corruption.
The AGF made these remarks during a roundtable discussion hosted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for state attorneys general in Abuja on Monday.
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The minister said, “I will suggest in our next constitution review exercise that we expunge those found guilty of corruption from benefiting from powers of ‘prerogative of mercy’ to serve as a deterrent to others.
“The cooperation of all stakeholders, especially the AGs, is crucial in the fight against corruption.”
The Matrix reports that during the previous administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, the Federal Government granted pardons to former governors Joshua Dariye of Plateau State and Jolly Nyame of Taraba State. Both Dariye and Nyame had been convicted and imprisoned for corruption
In his Monday statement ,Faghemi, advised the state attorneys general to avoid nepotism, political witch-hunt, rivalry, and bigotry in the fight against corruption just because they want to please their governors.
While adding that there should be no basis for rationalising corruption or crimes, Fagbemi noted that legal opinions on cases must be based on the facts as practised in the advanced countries.
“We should not give in to public sentiments. In Nigeria, we are polarised along political lines,” he said.
“Let us be thorough and take our time before inviting someone for questioning. Don’t do a shoddy job and be quick to say we have caught a big fish…You will catch a big fish. If it is two or three big fishes you are able to get in a year and you are thorough, it is alright.”
