The Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, yesterday, said it has concluded plans to embark on an intensive nationwide assets Scrutinization exercise, aimed at ferreting public servants operating foreign bank accounts.It said such action would tantamount to a breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers in the county.
Chairman of the Bureau, Mr Sam Saba, who made this disclosure at an interactive forum the CCB held with Civil Society groups, NGOs and stakeholders, in Abuja, insisted that any public officer traced to a foreign bank account would be referred to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, for immediate prosecution.
He further maintained that “where breaches, violations and contraventions are observed, the CCT is empowered to impose appropriate sanctions which may include vacation of office, disqualification from holding any office for a period not more than 10 years and forfeiture to the state of any property acquired in abuse of office.”
Tasking the media and other interest groups on effective and persistent whistle blowing that can seriously complement the efforts of the anti-corruption agencies in sustaining the battle against graft in the country, the CCB boss called for petitions against political office holders noticed to be living above their means, saying assets of such persons would be verified vis-à-vis what they stated in their assets declaration forms.
Noting that some cases involving top politicians who were hitherto accused of operating foreign accounts is still pending, Saba hinted that such case files will be re-opened soon with a view to prosecuting such persons in line with the express provisions of the law.
It would be recalled that the case-file of the former governor of Lagos state, Ahmed Tinubu, who was accused of operating different foreign accounts in both his name, that of his wife and children, whilst he was in office, is among such pending cases before the CCB.
Though the matter against the ex-governor was instituted five years ago, the Bureau has taken no substantial action over the case.
Declaring his intention to re-visit such pending case-files inherited by his office, the CCB boss said his mandate “is to establish and maintain a high standard of morality in the conduct of government business and to ensure that the actions and behavior of public officers conform to the highest standards to public morality and accountability”.
“Thus the CCB has as its primary focus, pubic officers whose conduct in the course of carrying out official duties are to be monitored and their assets declarations tracked and critically assessed to detect any illegal acquisition.
“The effect of corruption on the society particularly for a developing nation as ours is graven because of its potency for social disorder, economic impediment and the destruction of value systems. Our public system must therefore be governed by the principles of honesty, transparency and accountability.
“In view of that concern, public officers are under obligation to conduct government business in a manner that would bear critical public scrutiny. Experience has shown that public officers exercise much caution when the public searchlight probes into their conduct and activities in public office.
In this manner, we must address issues relating to complacent attitude on the part of the general public and the seemingly ‘silence posture’ of the media in respect of effective and persistent whistle blowing that can seriously compliment the efforts of the anti-corruption agencies in sustaining the battle against graft.
“In addition to confronting the challenges by strengthening the institutional capacity of the agencies, we believe that corruption should not be battled by agencies alone, there should be a sustained and comprehensive approach involving the participation and collaboration of all stakeholders. In effect, the monitoring of lifestyles and conduct of public officers should not be left to government agencies alone because the social tolerance level in a society can greatly impact the success or otherwise of an anti-corruption regime.
“The public associates, relates and interacts quite closely with public officers some of whom it celebrates on their newly acquired ostentatious and wealthy lifestyles and therefore ca access credible information on their financial status.
“A situation where the public exhibits reluctance to hold public office holders accountable and furthermore exerts undue pressure on public officers to engage in unwholesome and unlawful acts to satisfy dependency interests, cannot augur necessary conditions and atmosphere for conducting government business in a transparent manner”, he added.
Chairman of the Bureau, Mr Sam Saba, who made this disclosure at an interactive forum the CCB held with Civil Society groups, NGOs and stakeholders, in Abuja, insisted that any public officer traced to a foreign bank account would be referred to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, for immediate prosecution.
He further maintained that “where breaches, violations and contraventions are observed, the CCT is empowered to impose appropriate sanctions which may include vacation of office, disqualification from holding any office for a period not more than 10 years and forfeiture to the state of any property acquired in abuse of office.”
Tasking the media and other interest groups on effective and persistent whistle blowing that can seriously complement the efforts of the anti-corruption agencies in sustaining the battle against graft in the country, the CCB boss called for petitions against political office holders noticed to be living above their means, saying assets of such persons would be verified vis-à-vis what they stated in their assets declaration forms.
Noting that some cases involving top politicians who were hitherto accused of operating foreign accounts is still pending, Saba hinted that such case files will be re-opened soon with a view to prosecuting such persons in line with the express provisions of the law.
It would be recalled that the case-file of the former governor of Lagos state, Ahmed Tinubu, who was accused of operating different foreign accounts in both his name, that of his wife and children, whilst he was in office, is among such pending cases before the CCB.
Though the matter against the ex-governor was instituted five years ago, the Bureau has taken no substantial action over the case.
Declaring his intention to re-visit such pending case-files inherited by his office, the CCB boss said his mandate “is to establish and maintain a high standard of morality in the conduct of government business and to ensure that the actions and behavior of public officers conform to the highest standards to public morality and accountability”.
“Thus the CCB has as its primary focus, pubic officers whose conduct in the course of carrying out official duties are to be monitored and their assets declarations tracked and critically assessed to detect any illegal acquisition.
“The effect of corruption on the society particularly for a developing nation as ours is graven because of its potency for social disorder, economic impediment and the destruction of value systems. Our public system must therefore be governed by the principles of honesty, transparency and accountability.
“In view of that concern, public officers are under obligation to conduct government business in a manner that would bear critical public scrutiny. Experience has shown that public officers exercise much caution when the public searchlight probes into their conduct and activities in public office.
In this manner, we must address issues relating to complacent attitude on the part of the general public and the seemingly ‘silence posture’ of the media in respect of effective and persistent whistle blowing that can seriously compliment the efforts of the anti-corruption agencies in sustaining the battle against graft.
“In addition to confronting the challenges by strengthening the institutional capacity of the agencies, we believe that corruption should not be battled by agencies alone, there should be a sustained and comprehensive approach involving the participation and collaboration of all stakeholders. In effect, the monitoring of lifestyles and conduct of public officers should not be left to government agencies alone because the social tolerance level in a society can greatly impact the success or otherwise of an anti-corruption regime.
“The public associates, relates and interacts quite closely with public officers some of whom it celebrates on their newly acquired ostentatious and wealthy lifestyles and therefore ca access credible information on their financial status.
“A situation where the public exhibits reluctance to hold public office holders accountable and furthermore exerts undue pressure on public officers to engage in unwholesome and unlawful acts to satisfy dependency interests, cannot augur necessary conditions and atmosphere for conducting government business in a transparent manner”, he added.
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