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American Lawyer Writes Buhari by Julietekekwe1: 1:18pm On Jan 04, 2016 |
Anti-graft War: American Lawyer
Writes Buhari
by optimism 1st December 2015 20:11
1,076 views
BIAFRA AFRICA NIGERIA
0
P resident Muhammadu Buhari
Aso Rock, Abuja
Nigeria
Dear President Buhari:
When you visited the United States
Institute of Peace last July, you pledged
that you would be “fair, just and
scrupulously follow due process and the
rule of law, as enshrined in [the Nigerian]
constitution” in prosecuting corruption.
Such loftiness is laudable. As the Bible
instructs in Amos 5:24: “Let justice roll
down like waters, and righteousness like
an ever-flowing stream.”
But to be just, the law must be
evenhanded. It cannot, in the manner of
Russian President Vladimir Putin, be
something that is given to punish your
enemies and withheld to favor your friends.
If so, the law becomes an instrument of
injustice bearing earmarks of the wicked
rather than the good.
In the United States, you declared a policy
of “zero tolerance” against corruption. You
solicited weapons and other assistance
from the United States government based
on that avowal. But were you sincere?
During your election campaign, you
promised widespread amnesty, not zero
tolerance. You elaborated: “Whoever that is
indicted of corruption between 1999 to the
time of swearing-in would be pardoned. I
am going to draw a line, anybody who
involved himself in corruption after I
assume office, will face the music.”
Bruce Fein and Buhari.
After you were inaugurated, however, you
disowned your statement and declared you
would prosecute past ministers or other
officials for corruption or fraud. And then
again you immediately hedged. You were
reminded of your dubious past by former
Major General and President Ibrahim
Badamasi Babangida, who succeeded your
military dictatorship. He released this
statement:
“On General Buhari, it is not in IBB’s
tradition to take up issues with his
colleague former President. But for the
purpose of record, we are conversant with
General Buhari’s so-called holier-than-thou
attitude. He is a one-time Minister of
Petroleum and we have good records of
his tenure as minister. Secondly, he
presided over the Petroleum Trust Fund,
PTF, which records we also have.
“We challenge him to come out with clean
hands in those two portfolios he headed.
Or we will help him to expose his records
of performance during those periods.
Those who live in glass houses should not
throw stones. General Buhari should be
properly guided.”
You then swiftly backed off your zero
tolerance policy because you would have
been its first casualty.
You opportunistically announced that zero
tolerance would be narrowed to the
predecessor administration of Goodluck
Jonathan because to probe further would
be “a waste of time.” That conclusion
seems preposterous.
In 2012, the World Bank’s ex-vice
president for Africa, Oby Ezekwesili,
estimated that a stupendous $400 billion
in Nigerian oil revenues had been stolen or
misspent since independence in 1960. The
lion’s share of that corruption spans far
beyond the Jonathan administration.
Also Read: Judge’s Deliberate Absence
Stalls Trial Of Prince Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB
Leader.
Your zero tolerance policy seems to come
with a squint to avoid seeing culpability in
your political friends.
A few examples are but the tip of the
iceberg.
A Rivers State judicial commission of
inquiry found that N53 billion disappeared
from the Rivers State Reserve Fund under
former governor Rotimi Amaechi.
Former Lagos governor and head of your
campaign finance team Babatunde
Fashola was accused of squandering N78
million of government money to upgrade
his personal website.
The EFCC has ignored these corruption
allegations, and you have given both
promotions: the Ministry of Transport to
Mr. Amaechi, and the Ministry of Power,
Works, and Housing to Mr. Fashola.
In contrast, you have played judge, jury,
and prosecutor in the newspapers to
convict former PDP Petroleum Minister
Diezani Alison-Madueke of corruption.
Is this evenhanded justice?
United States Supreme Court Justice
Robert Jackson taught: “There is no more
effective practical guaranty against
arbitrary and unreasonable government
than to require that the principles of law
which officials would impose upon a
minority must be imposed generally.
Conversely, nothing opens the door to
arbitrary action so effectively as to allow
those officials to pick and choose only a
few to whom they will apply legislation
and thus to escape the political retribution
that might be visited upon them if larger
numbers were affected.”
To investigate or prosecute based on
political affiliation or opinion also violates
Articles 2 and 7 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. It is
unworthy of a great nation like Nigeria.
Make the hallmark of your administration
justice, not retribution, and you may live
for the ages.
I am a United States citizen and lawyer. I
have no political standing in Nigeria.
Some might argue that my speaking about
the administration of justice in Nigeria
bespeaks impertinence.
But you chose to visit the United States to
solicit weapons and other assistance from
my government–a government of the
people, by the people, for the people.
The United States government represents
me. What the United States government
does reflects on me. I thus have an
interest in addressing the actions of
foreign governments that receive United
States government aid.
Sunshine is said to be the best of
disinfectants.
Sincerely,
Bruce Fein
Fein & DelValle PLLC
300 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20001 |
Re: American Lawyer Writes Buhari by Philadelphia: 1:21pm On Jan 04, 2016 |
Ok |
Re: American Lawyer Writes Buhari by bond77(m): 1:37pm On Jan 04, 2016 |
Julietekekwe1:rubbish |
(1) (Reply)
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