Prof. Itse Sagay, the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption, has charged lawyers and professionals in the financial and private sectors to see themselves as partners in the fight against economic and financial crimes.
Sagay said this in a statement signed by Mr Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, on Thursday in Abuja.
According the statement Sagay gave the charge at the commencement of a two-day workshop on the `Role of Professionals in the Fight against Corruption’.
Sagay said in the statement that the war against corruption could not be won without professionals keying into the fight.
“The implementation of your rules and regulations including the ethics of your profession and disciplinary methods are essential in winning the war against corruption,” the statement quoted Sagay as saying.
According to the statement, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir Lawal, was represented by Tor Tsavar, Director, Nigerian National Volunteer Service.
Lawal said it was regrettable that professionals, particularly those in the banking sector, offered direct and indirect support to those who commit financial crimes to beat the law.
Furthermore, the statement said that Mr Francis Usani, Director, Nigerian Financial Institute, stressed that money laundering had an adverse effect on the social and economic well-being of the country.
“Compliance to the rules is very essential for professionals; the laws are made to stop criminals from leveraging on the platforms of professionals to carry out financial crimes,’’ the statement quoted him as saying.
He, therefore, charged professionals in financial institutions to ensure that they abide by the rules and report suspicious transactions promptly.
According to the statement, Mr Paul George, an official of Price Water House Coopers International Development Practice, who attended the workshop from UK, charged professional bodies to see themselves as partners in progress in the fight against corruption.
“We need to go beyond complaining and play an active part, if the collective system is to find a collective solution,” the statement quoted George as saying
According to the statement, the workshop had in attendance professionals from the legal, finance, banking and the mining sectors, among others.
It provided a platform for them to exchange ideas and fashion ways to eliminate hiccups being experienced in the fight against corruption in the country. (NAN)