THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says the agency is not charging some alleged corrupt high-profile persons to court yet because it takes time to gather evidence in such cases.
EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede said arraigning people involved in high-profile cases requires painstaking investigation, thus the perceived delay in prosecuting persons involved in public corruption.
Olukoyede said this in an interview with Channels Television aired on Sunday Politics monitored by News Point Nigeria.
According to the EFCC, the length of time some cases take before reaching the courts does not indicate that the anti-graft agency is inactive.
“In 48 hours, I can investigate and arraign a cybercriminal. It is just a matter of getting the devices and all that, and I am done,” he said.
“But when it comes to politically-exposed persons or public corruption or high-profile corruption, it takes time, and I can’t go to court when I am not ready.”
Critics and opposition have accused the agency of bias in the fight against corruption, alleging that the commission goes quiet on top politicians perceived to be corrupt.
But the EFCC chairman says that with the legal bottlenecks and restrictions, especially when it involves assets or monies in other countries, charging such cases to court will take time.
During the interview, Olukayode dismissed claims that the anti-graft organisation was targeting members of the opposition.
According to him, such claims are untrue and do not reflect the objectives of the EFCC.
He cited the case involving a former Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, who accused the commission of going after him due to his political affiliation.
“Let me tell you about that particular former attorney-general that you are talking about — there is nothing personal in this matter,” the EFCC chairman noted.
“If Nigeria is to move forward, all of us must agree that this fight must be fought without being partisan, and that’s what I want Nigerians to understand and to agree with us.”