27 Billion naira Pension Fund: LEDAP Wants Justice Abubakar Talba Investigated
The Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to appeal the unthinkable sentence passed by Justice Abubakar Talba of the Federal High Court Abuja on Mr John Yusuf convicted of stealing 27.2 billion naira of the police pension fund. LEDAP wants EFCC to secure appropriate sentence that is commensurate with the magnitude of the offence committed by Yusuf. While decrying the failure of the prosecutors and the court to effectively and sufficiently recover the stolen funds or the assets acquired by the convict from the proceed of the crime, LEDAP also wants Justice Talba investigated.
In a statement made available to NigerianEcho and signed by
Chino Obiagwu, the National Coordinator, of LEDAP, the organisation wants Nigeria Judicial Council, NJC, to open investigation on Justice Abubakar Talba for what clearly was a wrong exercise of judicial sentencing discretion at a magnitude that perhaps could amount to misconduct.
” A judge should be guided by objective sentencing guidelines, the Judicial Code of Conduct and the dictates of his or her oath of office. It was a lame excuse that the convict was charged by the prosecution under a lenient anti-corruption provision in the country instead of the numerous other laws in our statute books.
“LEDAP is concerned that the sentence of 2 years imprisonment or 750,000 naira fine passed on the convict who admitted stealing 27.2 billion naira portends danger of deteriorating social psyche and public trust on the commitment of the entire justice system to fight corruption in Nigeria.”
“LEDAP calls on the Attorney General of the Federation to investigate the entire investigators and prosecutors who handled the police pension fund case for their gross failure to effectively recover the stolen funds or the assets acquired from the proceed of the crime. Also for the prosecution to charge the convict and his co-accused persons under a lenient Penal Code provision was clearly a breach of their prosecutorial responsibility and smacks of apparent compromise of their professional duties.”
LEDAP also threatens to take a legal action if EFCC did not appeal the sentence.
“LEDAP will take legal action to compel EFCC and AGF to appeal the sentence if by the end of the statutory period of appeal which is 3 months from date of sentence no appeal has been filed against the judgment and the sentence.” The statement concluded.