SERAP wants Malami to publish list of corrupt governors, others

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abukabar Malami, SAN, to develop and publish registers for corrupt state governors and other high-ranking public officials charged with and convicted of grand corruption since the return of democracy in 1999.

In a letter dated 23 August 2019 and signed by SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “The proposed registers are far from severe, and would be a proportionate response to the grave crime of grand corruption and impunity of perpetrators and have a deterrent effect.

“There can be no reasonable expectation of privacy in matters already exposed to public viewing such as prior arrest, charges and conviction records.

“We urge you to ensure that the public registers contain accurate data and are fully accessible and open to public scrutiny. Aspects such as the scope of the registers, who to include in the registers, and eligibility for removal from the registers, can be discussed in a consultative session with the civil society and other stakeholders.

“Public registers for high-ranking officials facing corruption charges and those convicted of corruption would be a pivotal moment in the fight against corruption by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and the damage caused by graft to citizens’ human rights and Nigeria’s democratic process.”

The proposed registers for corrupt officials, according to SERAP, would serve a public interest purpose similar in some respects to the recently disclosed names and details by the United States Department of Justice of 80 defendants, most of whom are Nigerians, that have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft and other charges.

According to SERAP, many citizens lack knowledge and awareness of those charged with and convicted of grand corruption, and those that are complicit in the mismanagement of the country’s wealth and resources.