SAN FRANCISCO, November 17, (THEWILL) – Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, has called for a new law that will compel suspects facing corruption charges to explain the sources of their wealth.
Ajumogobia made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the First Annual National Law Officers’ Conference in Abuja on Monday.
The former minister, who chaired the conference, said that the new law should allow for the prosecution of accused persons by weighing their yearly earnings against their wealth.
“We need to pass a law that says essentially that if a person – and it doesn’t have to be a public officer, it can be anybody, who has assets that are beyond his means or apparent means right now as the law is everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“So a person acquires huge wealth, he doesn’t have to explain where he got it from under the law; this law would make him have to explain so there would be no presumption.
“It is not a criminal offence, he will just be called to explain how he acquired it.
“If he can explain, if he inherited it from ancestors or worked for it, fine; if you can’t, then you forfeit it to the state.
“That is the paradigm that I think moves away from where we are now and I think will help fight against corruption,” he said.
Ajumogobia noted that the current criminal and penal codes can only define corruption elements.
He urged all citizens to fight against the social malaise in all sectors of the economy.
