EFCC: Lawyers React To Itse Sagay’s Fresh Allegations Against Malami, Bawa

Legal opinions have trailed comments credited to the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay, SAN, alleging that the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami SAN, may influence the decisions of the newly appointed Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa.

Sagay, in an interview with a media platform, claimed that since Bawa and Malami were from same state (Kebbi), it would be difficult for the AGF to allow him to function properly without interference.

“This issue is a very big question because I noticed that they both come from the same state of Kebbi and they may even be related. For me, that is not a very healthy thing because the chairman of the EFCC and the EFCC are supposed to be independent

“They (EFCC operatives) are not politicians; they are trained security officers. The attorney-general is a politician who has all the weaknesses and loads of a politician. He has people he is obliged to. He has people who are close to him. Some of them may be criminals who might have committed crimes. In fact, some of them may deliberately do things because they think they know the attorney-general,” he alleged.

Recall that Sagay had been a strong critic of Malami’s leadership style, particularly over the removal of the embattled former EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, whom a presidential panel indicted for corruption.

But in his reaction, Ahmed Raji, SAN, told THE WHISTLER, that while he would not comment on what Sagay said, he was persuaded that his claims may not be unconnected to personal issues between him and the AGF.

“I don’t know what informed Prof. Sagay’s opinion…they are functionaries of the same Government.

“It’s an in-house problem; I don’t know what they know, only them know what they know about each other,” he said.

On his part, Barrister J. Nwadike disagreed with Prof. Sagay, adding that Bawa was appointed because of his professional records and his training will guide him in his new position.

He told our correspondent that the claim that Bawa would sacrifice national interest on the altar of affiliation would not apply to him having been trained.

“”The truth is that work is usually disassociated from affiliations; official duties are different from affiliations,” he responded.

He said that both Malami and Bawa were aware that “in an official duty, you are held accountable.”