Lagos lawyer, Mr Femi Falana on Wednesday advised the Federal Government to adequately fund the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to enable it effectively deliver on its mandate of fighting corruption.
Falana gave the advice while speaking a forum organised by the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) in Lagos.
The forum, with the theme“Perpetual Hearings and Delayed Justice on Corruption Cases in Nigeria: Causes and Way-Forward, “ was organised by CACOL to commemorate its 10th anniversary.
The lawyer said that investigating corruption cases, especially of politically-exposed persons, was capital intensive, and urged the government to give the EFCC the needed funds to achieve diligent prosecution of cases.
“The Federal Government has not funded the EFCC the way the commission should be funded. In fact, the funding is not even there at all.
`This government has spent about 2 billion dollars on the war against insurgency in the last two years but has not spent 2 million dollars on the fight against corruption, and yet we want the EFCC to be very effective.
“The fact is that fighting corruption is very expensive. Britain spent 2 million pounds just to prosecute and convict a former governor in Nigeria for corruption.
“So the EFCC needs funds to diligently investigate and prosecute corruption cases. The government should provide the wherewithal for the commission,“ he said.
Falana said corrupt politically-exposed persons had the resources to get the best legal services and turn the tide against the EFCC in the court of law.
He said for the EFCC to match this category of people “ fire-for-fire,“ there was the need for the government to give the commission funds to hire the best lawyers to prosecute cases.
PUNCH
