ARE CORRUPT EX-PRESIDENTS AND POLITICIANS REALLY UNTOUCHABLE?

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a Godly perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 7. NO 263. 26th August, 2018.] “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

ARE CORRUPT EX-PRESIDENTS AND POLITICIANS REALLY UNTOUCHABLE?

Since independence, past Military and Democratic Presidents in Nigeria who had been alleged to have corrupted themselves while in office, have been treated like SACRED COWS because none so far, has been interrogated, indicted nor taken before any court of competent jurisdiction for trial and in spite of the fact that one of them, General Sanni Abacha, suddenly died in office and all of his dirty deals of mass looting of the treasury were exposed, still, no visible effort has been made to subject others (before or after him), to give accounts of their stewardship while in office!
But if Abacha who committed several financial crimes while in office between 1993 and 1998, were still alive, would any law enforcement institution be bold enough to bring him to justice?

During the GULF WAR in the year 1991 when self-styled military President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, held sway, he was alleged to have converted the oil wind fall of $12.4 billion dollars which accrued for Nigeria, to personal use. He denied the charge and is still walking free!
Former Military Head of State/Democratically elected President,  Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo, was also accused of corruption in some Power projects dubiously executed with about $16billion dollars, including PHCN contract between 1999 and 2007;  Transcorp Shares,  Presidential  Library Fundraising, which realised N3.5 billion and US $ 250 dollars, in May 2007,  shortly before his exit from office;  NNPC contracts worth a total cost of US $300 dollars and disbursement of N500 billion naira, to about 200 contractors; Defence contracts valued at N 6.7 billion naira,  $28 million, €26 million and DM6 million etc, etc., and the EFCC WHICH HE ESTABLISHED COULD NOT FIND SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO PROSECUTE HIM because he claimed no wrongdoing in all allegations through a piece of STATEMENT submitted to them! He is still engaged in LETTER WRITING as a free man! 

Ex-President Ebele Jonathan was not spared of corruption allegations that were yet to be proved. He also is still walking free on the presumption of his innocence until the contrary was proven according to the Nigerian Constitution!
Have the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), crack detectives, investigators, prosecutors and lawyers who had been inundated with GENUINE PETITIONS - laden with facts, figures and authentic documents against these ex-leaders, become  lily-livered or too docile and intimidated to invite any of them for interrogation and if necessary to detain them from tampering with evidences that could lead to their convictions?

All over the world, with the exception of Nigeria, past corrupt leaders, including ex-Prime Ministers, Presidents in Pakistan, Israel, Indonesia, Liberia etc, and most recently South Korea, have been successfully investigated, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to spend several years in prison!

EXTENDED JAIL TERM FOR MISS PARK!
An Appeal Court was reported to have increased the prison sentence on former South Korea's female President,  Park Geun-hye to 25 years and her earlier fine by 2 billion won (1.78m), to 20 million won ($17.8m). The 66-year-old First Lady was found culpable of official corruption (involving fronting through a friend with whom she siphoned tens of billions of wons from major conglomerates), by a Constitutional Court in 2017 and forced out of office as the first democratically-elected Korean leader, to be so disgraced! Her friend, Choi Soon-sil, got only 20 years for her ignominious role in the whole saga! The ex-president earlier bagged 24 years in prison and 18 million won fine ($16m US dollars), by a lower court in April 2018 after a prolonged trial of about two years, which the unsatisfied prosecution which sought 30 years, appealed.
Like all politicians, she denied all accusations of wrong-doing and probably described them as "political witch-hunt"! However, she detained for months and did not get preferential treatment! It was also reported that in July 2018, Miss Park was sentenced by another court to 8-year in prison in a separate case arising from the same corruption scandal and for interfering in a 2016 parliamentary election!

THE RECOVERED ABACHA LOOTS!
In the SWISS BANKS alone, Abacha stashed away N1.073 billion, which, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, said in June 2018, had been  fully repatriated, going by the account of  Mayoraz, the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria as follows: Two tranches of $752 million and $321 million, already with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)! The ambassador also said that the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty countries would no longer allow for stolen wealth to be kept in any place in the Switzerland! Abacha also stashed monies in many countries of the world in Europe and the USA!

The money from Switzerland is now being disbursed, with the support of the World Bank to succour the most under privileged as their common patrimony in the first instance, in a form of NATIONAL CASH TRANSFER SCHEME in order to benefit the entire populace. Already, 19 States and 270.000 households have been captured out of the estimated 302.000! Disbursement of $321 million dollars to beneficiaries began in JULY, 2018.
We advocate that other looters of the Nigerian Treasury past and present would make URGENT RESTITUTION before the long arms of the LAW catches up with them!

THE ADVOCACY FOR STRONG INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA CANNOT BE OVER-EMPHASIZED!
Political analysts find it very convenient to compare Nigeria's presidential form of government with that of the United States of America, in isolation to reality that America's system is deliberately supported with very Strong Institutions to afford continuous government policies to thrive, and no matter the personality involved, every act or decision must always be carried out "according to the law"! Incumbent President Donald Trump, has found it impossible to ride rough-shod over the Judiciary on legal policy decisions the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), on criminal probes involving him and the Republican Party and also on Immigration matters because these very strong institutions would always insist on executing all directives according to the "Rule of Law", to the letter without affording preferential treatment to the President!
It was high time that the present crop of leaders in the ruling APC government began to follow the US policies of allowing strong institutions to evolve naturally through judicious and adequate policies in areas of personnel training/re-training/equipment, funding etc. in a gradual process of meticulous planning by devoted, patriotic, resilient and selfless leaders!

SHOULD DASUKI AND EL-ZAKZAKY REMAIN IN DETENTION?
Legal opinion is divided on the continuous detention of retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki who was alleged to have diverted US $ 2.1 dollars appropriated for the purchase of arms and ammunition to fight Boko Haram insurgency in 2014, and El-Zakzaky the Shiite Muslim leader in Nigeria whom government strongly believed was in the process of raising another religious militant group for foment and unleash further violence against the people of Nigeria!  According to Section 293-296 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, suspect should not be kept in custody/detention for more than a maximum time-frame of TWO WEEKS, and must be through an application and the expressed consent of a MAGISTRATE. Dasuki has been in detention for over TWO YEARS!
Although, Dasuki has been granted bail on FIVE different occasions, but on his release from KUJE PRISON on 29th December, 2015, he was re-arrested by the State Security Services (SSS), and has been kept in detention without fresh charges since then! According to Justices of the SUPREME COURT, in a unanimous decision read by Justice Ajembi Eko, said that the EFCC could not be held responsible for the continued detention of the ex-NSA since it was carried out by the SSS!  The apex court dismissed an appeal filed by Dasuki against EFCC for lack of merit and for abuse of court process! And the case of El Zakzaky, government said,  that the Muslim cleric and his wife were not in detention but PROTECTIVE CUSTODY in view of the danger to their lives for as long as the trial, which is on-going last! The couple dwell in a well-protected private apartment and have access to medical facilities.

IS THE LAW AN ASS?
In a recent interaction with a young barrister at law in respect of the continuous detention by government of both former National Security Adviser (NSA), in spite of about five court bails issued on his behalf and also El Zakzaky, the Shiite Muslim leader, I was persuaded to look at the whole scenario of incarceration of the duo from another legal perspective outside of the one vehemently held on to by the government! The Federal Government is holding on to a Supreme Court judgment which says that, "When the decision of bail in respect of a matter before a law court conflicts with STATE SECURITY,  liberty of a suspect could be denied in spite of the grant of bail according to fundamental rights of the suspect. 
The young legal practitioner believes that the Federal Government had erred in law by not APPEALING the BAIL JUDGEMENTS issued by those courts of competent jurisdiction in favour of Dasuki and El Zakzaky! According to his postulation, though the subsisting Supreme Court judgement was very valid, it was not BINDING on the LOWER COURTS to the extent that there was no pronouncement by the APEX COURT which restrained them from granting bail to the accused persons! That argument seemed plausible because, from the primary to tertiary levels, courts unite to execute justice but the rights and privileges of one court of competent jurisdiction was never usurped by the other!

HOW CAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RESOLVE CONSTANT CONFLICTS OF RULE OF LAW AND NATIONAL SECURITY? It should expedite lawful trial to avoid unlawful detention! “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: [Romans.13:3].  
Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.
If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.
I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066. g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.