NationalMirror Govs must sign death warrants, FG insists ISE-OLUWA IGE June 28, 2013 * …it’s part of our law, says Adoke * FG recovers ₤22.5m stolen assets from Abacha family Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN), yesterday said that governors are under statutory duty to sign death warrants of criminals condemned to death by courts of competent jurisdiction which are piling up on their desks. The minister, who spoke in Abuja at the 2013 ministerial platform, noted that while the Federal Government was aware of the increasing global campaign against capital punishment, its hands were tied because “offences that carry the capital punishment in the country are state offences created by state laws.” Adoke said that except such state laws, which created the capital offences and the death penalty, were amended, the Federal Government had no powers to unilaterally abolish the death penalty. He added that as far as the law stands, criminals on the death row in prison formations do not enjoy prerogative of mercy from the executive. The AGF stressed that serving governors could not shy away from performing their constitutional duties. Adoke explained that death penalty remained part of the nation’s laws and is still active but the global campaign against it had not metamorphosed into its abolition. The UK, European Union and governments of Norway and Switzerland are among those that have condemned the recent execution of four convicted armed robbers in Edo State, the first of such executions since 2006 on grounds that it was in violation of fundamental human rights. President Goodluck Jonathan had on Sunday asked state governors to stop abdicating their constitutional responsibility of signing death warrants of criminals condemned to death by courts. The President had made the call in a remark at the Fathers’ Day Sunday service organised by the Aso Villa Chapel. Jonathan had said that the governors should realise that the job they were elected to do had both the sweet and ugly parts. He had also urged them to carry out all their responsibilities according to the dictates of the law. Adoke also used the opportunity of the ministerial platform to list the achievements of his ministry and all the parastatals under his supervision in the last 12 months. He defended the position of the Federal Government on the October 2002 verdict handed down by the International Court of Justice, ICJ, on Bakassi Peninsula, saying that the Federal Government could have gone on appeal if new facts were available to reverse the judgement. The minister explained that as at the time the window of opportunity to appeal the judgement lapsed, Nigeria had no new facts with which to approach the ICJ to review the judgment. He said what some Nigerians were dressing as new facts were sentiments which were not worthwhile. Earlier, Adoke had said that the Ministry of Justice under his supervision had made significant improvements in its service delivery and recorded some milestones in the discharge of its mandate. He listed the achievements to include improvement in the prosecution of crimes and defence of civil cases, enhanced capacity building in key areas, particularly the prosecution of economic crimes, corruption, drug and terrorism related offences and reduction in the cases firmed out to external solicitors. Other achievements include reduction in judgement debts obtained against MDAs, institutionalisation of reforms in the justice sector aimed at improving access to justice, mainstreaming the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act, drafting of legislation in critical areas such as the war against terror, timely and efficient international cooperation on matters of extradition and mutual legal assistance and adoption of measures to improve on the administration of criminal justice. Adoke stated that the government had prosecuted 75 suspects in connection with alleged cases of terrorism and Boko Haram insurgency between 2011 and 2013. Adoke said that 16 of the cases had been concluded with eight convictions while 35 cases were struck out. The minister also said that his ministry had recovered over 20 million pounds allegedly stolen from government’s coffers. He noted that the money was recovered from one Raj Arjandes Bhojwani, an Indian and associate of the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha. Adoke said that the assets were recovered in 2011, adding that the ministry recovered and repatriated the money following its negotiations with the Island of Jersey. “In this connection, we have maintained effective liaison and communication with targeted jurisdictions to keep pace with assets recovery proceedings in those jurisdictions. “In 2011, our close liaison and negotiation with the Island of Jersey led to the recovery and repatriation of £22.5 million confiscated by the Royal Court of Jersey from Raj Arjandes Bhojwani, an Indian national and associate of Gen. Sani Abacha on account of his money laundering transactions from Nigeria.” Adoke added that the Principality of Liechtenstein recently confiscated 175m Euro from the Abacha family and associate companies in Liechtenstein. The minister said although Nigeria had not recovered nor repatriated the money following an appeal lodged by the companies involved, the ministry would ensure the repatriation of the money. “We continued the liaison and negotiations with the Principality of Liechtenstein, which recently confiscated the sum of Euro 175 million from the Abacha family and associated companies in Liechtenstein following a confiscation order by the Supreme Court of Liechtenstein. “However, the companies involved have lodged an appeal against the decision before the European Court of Justice in Strasburg. “As soon as the appeal is concluded, firm arrangements consistent with the asset recovery provisions of the United Nations convention against corruption would be made to repatriate the forfeited sums to Nigeria.”
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 08:31:19 +0000
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