Transparency groups based in
Italy and the UK have called for public access to the trial of Ibrahim Magu,
suspended chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Magu was arrested and detained
for 10 days following allegations of corruption and abuse of power levelled
against him.
President Muhammadu Buhari had
thereafter suspended Magu as he is currently under investigation by the
presidential panel headed by Ayo Salami, retired president of the appeal court.
In a letter addressed to Salami on Thursday, the groups — Re:Common, The Corner House and Global Witness — said Magu’s trial may affect Nigeria’s image in the international community.
The letter was signed by Lucas
Manes for Re:Common, Nicholas Hildyard for The Corner House and Simon Taylor
for Global Witness.
The three groups, which have
assisted Nigeria in retrieving stolen funds and assets, are currently behind
the prosecution of oil giants said to have swindled Nigeria of billions of
dollars in the infamous OPL 245 deal.
They said Nigerian partners
abroad are concerned that Magu’s removal may have been orchestrated by those
against the anti-corruption war.
The groups said although the rule
of law exists, the ongoing trial appears to have indicted Magu of the
allegations through media trial.
“We can report that as things
stand, these apparent failures of due process have already seriously dented the
confidence of a number of key international partners in Nigeria’s fight,” the
letter read.
“If this situation is not
radically and urgently changed, some may well conclude that the President’s
fight against the corrupt was merely a token gesture, a passing phase, to be
discarded when the going got too tough.”
The partners raised concerns over
certain developments in the trial of Magu, including his “detention and
subsequent denial of the action by both the panel and the police; the failure
to serve Mr. Magu with a copy of the complaint against him for several weeks;
the suspension of 12 officials (investigators and prosecutors) of the EFCC
without query, interrogation or any other expected standard treatment for such
an action; the appearance of several conflicting allegations in the media
without any official statement from your committee; appearances of those under
trial for corruption before the panel; and the predictions of the Panel’s
conclusions in the media by both politicians and aides of the President.”
They expressed worry about the
failure to allow Magu cross-examine his accusers and witnesses and that of the
panel to reveal its mandate, terms of reference and the timeline within which
it expects to be operating.
The groups said under Magu, they
have been “enormously impressed with the tenacity, skills and performance” of
the EFCC, and called on the presidential panel to ensure public access to
Magu’s trial in order to ensure credibility and boost public trust.
“The above factors combine to
give an impression that something is very wrong in the action that has been
taken against Mr. Magu, and they could even be seen to imply a process that has
already been determined,” the groups added.
“We appreciate that the
extraordinary conditions imposed on us all by the COVID-19 pandemic make public
processes more difficult, but the use of internet together with a number of
excellent applications, has demonstrated that this can easily be overcome, and
for next to zero cost.
“As such, we would be very
grateful if you would inform us about when meetings are taking place and how we
may access online the procedures such that we can monitor and report on your
on-going deliberations.”
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