Series of controversies have trailed the recent presidential pardon granted some Nigerian VIP ex-convicts by the National Council of States headed by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Registering their complain, the U.S. Mission Nigeria tweeted the following:
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Also Transparency International, the global anti-corruption organisation, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to rescind the pardon granted to Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the former governor of Bayelsa, who was convicted for money laundering and other serious corruption offences in 2007.
“This decision undermines anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria and encourages impunity. If the government is serious about uprooting public corruption, sanctions against those who betray the public trust should be strengthened, not relaxed,” said Akere Muna, vice-chair of Transparency International.
Mr. Alamieyeseigha will now be able to stand for public office again.
President Jonathan should show that he is committed to fighting corruption and endorse the efforts of law enforcement agencies to end impunity for corrupt officials.
Nigeria was ranked 139 out of 174 countries in the 2012 Corruptions Perceptions Index. Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has prosecuted and convicted a number of high-profile corrupt individuals since its inception in 2003, but most of them have escaped effective sanctions.
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