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Lagos To Hijack Tinubu’s Corruption Case From EFCC As Sanwo-olu Assents To Anti-graft Bill
- The law did not bar the house of assembly or any court from probing corruption cases.
As part of move to considerably whittle down the power and influence of federal government controlled anti-graft agencies, the Lagos state government is set to establish its anti-corruption agency.
According to the bill signed into law by the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the anti-corruption agency will have the sole rights to probe cases of corruption that have to do with the state.
The PUNCH reports that the agency when set up will take over subsisting cases involving Lagos from agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The law entitled ‘Lagos State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Law’ was signed by Sanwo-Olu last week, according to the newspaper.
The EFCC is currently beaming its searchlights of corruption into the administration of Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode, both former governors of Lagos, are said to be in progress.
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There is also a petition at the EFCC against Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor who is believed to be nursing a presidential ambition, over alleged corruption. Not much has been heard about it.
Tinubu
Mudasiru Obasa, speaker of the Lagos assembly who oversaw the passage of the bill, has also been accused of corruption. The speaker was grilled by the EFCC in 2020 and had all his accounts frozen through a court order.
They all denied any wrongdoing.
Section 13(3) of the new law says: “The commission shall upon the commencement of this law take over the investigation of all anti-corruption and financial crime cases involving the finances and assets of Lagos State Government being investigated by any other agency.”
READ ALSO: Tension Grips Lagos Lawmakers As EFCC Grills Obasa, Conspirators Over Corruption Allegation
Section 13(5) provides that, “the commission shall have the power to the exclusion of any other agency or body to investigate and coordinate the investigation of corruption and financial crimes cases involving the finances and assets of the state government.”
The new agency is empowered to probe any offence under the criminal law of the state in relation to corruption and financial crimes, abuse of office, offences relating to administration of justice, obtaining by false pretences, cybercrime, fake news, interception of emails and fraudulent dealing with property debtors.
The law did not bar the house of assembly or any court from probing corruption cases.
The law also empowers the new agency to probe questionable wealth, Ekohotblog gathered.
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