Proposed ‘’Treasury looters to get full amnesty law self-serving, Anti-people - CISLAC

The Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Awwal Musa Rafsanjani said the proposed law is an attempt by the Nigerian elite to legitimize the looting of public treasury. While describing the draft law as ‘self-serving and anti-people,’ Rafsanjani called on Nigerians to rise against such laws.

“This bill that is proposed in the House clearly shows the desperation by people that looted the country to hide. It is an attempt to legitimize stolen funds. This is a calculated attempt to further deepen and institutionalize corruption in Nigeria, whereby you can steal as much as you want then come and declare whatever you deem fit.

“One can steal N10 billion and declare just N100 million. The proposed law is anti-people, unacceptable and not in the spirit of the fight against corruption. It won’t scare those that looted the public treasury. It is another means of giving them confidence.

“We reject this idea in totality because it won’t help in the fight against corruption. We call on the National Assembly to desist from considering it. In the event that they pass it, we call on the president not to sign it and we call on Nigerians to rise against it,” he said.

Asked about the provision that compels looters to invest the looted funds in the Nigerian economy, Rafsanjani said: “It’s not workable to force them to invest the looted money back in Nigeria.

“The only thing is to force them to refund the entire money. So, for us this isn’t an appropriate thing. When people know that they’ll refund the entire money, it would discourage them and others.

“What they’re trying to do is to give legitimacy to what is clearly illegitimate. Looting is a crime against Nigeria and Nigerians because it denies provision of infrastructure such as roads, water and other things. As far as we’re concerned, this is wicked.

“There are enabling laws in existence, so they should strengthen them instead of giving legitimacy to looting. They should create an atmosphere that looters will find everywhere un-conducive to steal and hide money,” he said.

Vanguard