When we thought the uproar generated over the Panama Papers leak of April 2016 which named Senate President Bukola Saraki, his wife and other politically exposed persons and individuals of investing millions of dollars in offshore shell companies, which is another form of money laundering has gone unnoticed as several other issues in Nigeria, the authorities at Seychelles has opened a probe into the case.
As reported by Premium Times, the Senate President and his wife will be probed for money laundering activities. At the time of the Panama Papers leak, Saraki had denied ownership of the properties listed as he ascribed them to his wife and her family but the authorities actually found out that the claims by the Senate President is not true as investigations have shown Toyin Saraki actually laundered the money on his behalf starting from the year 2011.
As much as the investigation is ongoing, it is a slap on our face as a country that we’ve failed to investigate the Senate President for the accusations raised against him and other Nigerians listed in the Panama Papers leak. Apart from making the news for weeks, we never moved further by questioning those listed in the leak. Several countries in the world have begun the trial of their citizens mentioned in the papers while some individuals had their reputations so damaged by the accusations they had to resign their positions to clear their name.
Naming and shaming has not really worked in Nigeria. This is partly because there are no consequences of social ostracisation attached to this shame. It is common for convicted armed robbery suspects and individuals undergoing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will contest for elections, get party tickets and win from their detention cells! The Senate President is advised to toe the line of honour by making himself available for this probe while the federal government through the EFCC should make its findings on this issue and bring all culprits to book. Nigeria must not be seen as a safe haven for corrupt individuals.
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