Bolaji Owasanoye, the ICPC chairman made the call at the NBA Annual General Meeting and Conference in Lagos. He was speaking on the theme, ‘How Corruption Fuels Insecurity and Bad Governance: The Role of Lawyers in Tackling Corrupt Practices in Nigeria’.
Owasanoye, who lamented corrupt practices in the legal profession, advised the leadership of the NBA to act swiftly and sanction lawyers involved in corrupt practices.
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He questioned the ‘middlemen’s role’ played by some lawyers for suspects involved in corruption cases, particularly money laundering and illicit financial flows (IFFs), describing it as unethical. Information Guide Nigeria
“In one of the investigations by the Commission, we traced the money to the account of a lawyer. When we got to the account, the money had further been transferred to many accounts in an effort to frustrate the investigation. These lawyers are agents of money launderers, and they undermine the legal profession. jamb results
“Also, some lawyers are engaged in the payment of bribes to file cases in courts or to collect receipts. Lawyers must dare to speak and challenge the status quo and reinvigorate the fight against corruption and money laundering,” he said.
“The courts are now in the habit of issuing orders stopping anti-corruption agencies from investigation and making arrests. The biggest culprits are the senior lawyers, and it is a matter of regret that the NBA is not doing anything about it.”
Evaluating the nexus between corruption, insecurity and bad governance, the ICPC boss explained that the provision of critical infrastructure, security, education, health, and food are the immediate casualties of corruption.
“A single transaction of diversion of huge sums could have an immediate impact that may become irreversible or more difficult and costly to reverse, while petty diversion of budget or misallocation of resources may not immediately make an impact but will inevitably impact medium to long term.”11
He further stated that the Commission was collaborating with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) through the use of modern technology to aid the fight against corruption and illicit financial flows.
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