The federal government has promised to make public
the list of suspected treasury looters.
Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation
(AGF), made the promise while speaking with state
house correspondents on Wednesday.
But he said that would only happen after the
government had “fulfilled judicial principles”.
A federal high court in Lagos had compelled the
government to release information about high-ranking
public officials from whom public funds were
recovered.
Hadiza Shagari, a judge, gave the ruling following a
freedom of information suit filed by the Socio-
Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
Reacting to the judgment, Malami said the government
was aware of its responsibility to disclose relevant
information but that due process must be followed.
“I want to place to on record that we have in place the
freedom of information act and the government is fully
aware of its responsibility arising from that
legislation,” he said.
“The issue that is fundamentally worthy of
consideration is the fact that the government will
definitely be alive to its responsibility as far as those
disclosures are concerned.
“You have to take into consideration that there are a
lot of factors that are to be considered as far as
making those disclosures are concerned.
“So the government will at the appropriate time make
necessary disclosures perhaps intermittently against
the background of the prevailing conditions relating to
the tendency of certain suits and associated things.”
Malami also spoke on how matters that are pending in
court had been restricting government from making
some disclosures.
“There are matters of reconciliation, compilations and
associated things,” he said.
“On need and compliance basis, the federal
government has been making necessary statements
public, and then courts in their own rights, in the
course of adjudication of cases, keep making
judgements and statements as they relate to the
parties.”
TheCable
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