For re-opening the Halliburton investigation after several years of the case file being neglected and suffering from lack of diligent prosecution, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has cheered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The Executive Director of CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran in a statement issued Friday hailed the anti-corruption agency for revisiting the issue on the orders of the Federal Government.
It is thought that a more diligent prosecution of the $182 million bribery scandal which reportedly indicted three former Presidents, a vice president, a minister and a cross section of other civil servants. The United States government is reportedly withholding $140 million recovered funds until the Buhari administration tackles the issue and brings those found wanting to justice.
In a statement on Friday, the Executive Chairman, CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, commended the EFCC under the leadership of its Acting Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, for reopening the bribery cases.
This, he said, “was practically demonstrated yesterday when the EFCC had to send somebody down from Abuja to make CACOL adopt the petition it (the coalition) wrote since 2011. That signals the seriousness to which the EFCC is treating the case.”
Adeniran added, “The EFCC showed initial enthusiasm to prosecute the culprits until we discovered the involvement of the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
CACOL urged the EFCC and other security agencies that would be involved in the fresh investigation to ensure that diligent prosecution is made.
“We also urge the EFCC to file appropriate charges against anyone found to have abused his office in this matter at the end of investigation. No stone should be left unturned in the case, so that Nigerian will no longer be the laughing stock to the comity of nations,” Adeniran added.