The Nigerian Bar Association, on Wednesday, insisted that the Federal Government should release the names of Nigerians linked with the Halliburton bribe scandal.
The President, NBA, Chief Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), who spoke at the opening of the NBA’s 4th Business Law Conference in Abuja, said that the Federal Government had not been transparent in the handling of the issue.
According to him, Nigerians are not satisfied with the way the office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice is handling the issue.
He said, “Rule of law is not limited to obeying court orders. Government has not been transparent. Nigerians deserve to have fuller information.
“The names of those involved should be released to the public and they should also be prosecuted. That is our position.
“The matter has already been tried in court in the United States of America, so there should really be no secrecy about the names of Nigerians who were involved in the scandal.”
Akeredolu noted that “the struggle for the economic emancipation of Africa must be fought from all fronts. There is no doubt that Africa’s development has been wasted by poor leadership as most our leaders pay lip service to the issue of the rule of law, while most of our leaders have benefited and are still benefitting from the proceeds of corruption.”
He also faulted the advice by President Umaru Yar’Adua to his ministers that they should be transparent in their operations, saying that all the President needed to do was to support the passing into law of the Freedom of Information Bill.
“There is also no commitment on the part of the National Assembly to pass the bill. Otherwise, if they pass it and the president refuses to assent, they should override him by two-thirds vote,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, immediate past president of the International Bar Association, Mr. Fernado Pombo, said that transparency was needed in fighting trans-border economic crimes such as corruption.
He said that effort should be made to trace money involved in such crimes and how it could be retrieved and brought back home.
He pointed out that lawyers played key roles in facilitating corrupt acts worldwide.
The former IBA President cautioned lawyers about engaging in acts capable of tarnishing the image of the profession, adding that “a lawyer’s obligation to his client to close a deal has its limitations.”
He said such limitation should not extend to committing a crime, as anything beyond a legal advice was no longer part of a lawyer’s duty to his client while lawyers were part of the fight against corruption and abuse of power.
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