The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof Itse Sagay, has lamented the failure of the 8th and outgoing 9th National Assembly to pass a bill seeking to establish special courts for the trial of corruption-related cases in the country. Other related matters that the proposed law sought to grant special status to were drug trafficking, and terrorism. Speaking in a telephone interview with New Telegraph, the Silk said apart from according to the aforementioned cases accelerated hearing and determination, the bill, when passed into law, will imbue judges with expertise in the specialised areas.
He, however, noted the passage into law of the piece of legislation for the establishment of an agency for the management of recovered/ forfeited assets. Asked to give an assessment of the federal parliament, in relation to action taken on the bills PACAC had proposed, the professor of law said: “Well, the National Assembly has not (allegedly) done well in this regard. We had three or four “But the two major ones are bills on the management of recovered assets. It was passed (by the 9th National Assembly), with the support of the Attorney General (of the Federation)….So, that’s number one.
“The one we failed was the bill creating special courts for corruption and allied matters like drugs, terrorism, and corruption. “In fact, the main reason we wanted it was for corruption. But, we agreed to add the other things, so that we can have a larger group of people, who will be interested. “Just to create more interest in it, and more support. Because, if we just put only corruption in it, it will be too lonely.” He further explained: “The whole idea is to create speed in the hearing and determination of corruption cases, and to create expertise among judges, who will be in those courts. “That one did not go through, it’s still there; it has not been passed. They were proposed to the 8th Assembly, and they didn’t pass it. “And then, the 9th (Assembly) came and exhausted (about to) its four years, passed one and did not pass the other.”
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