ARISE NEWS Analyst, Sam Amadi, has blamed weak investigations and poor prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for the failure of some high-profile corruption cases, saying former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, should return to Nigeria to face any criminal charges supported by credible evidence.
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Amadi spoke during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday while reacting to Diezani’s acquittal by a United Kingdom court on bribery-related charges. (arise.tv)
He said the UK acquittal does not automatically stop Nigerian authorities from prosecuting the former minister on separate allegations, but insisted that any fresh prosecution must be based on strong investigation and legally admissible evidence, not public anger or perception.
According to him, the lesson from the UK proceedings is that criminal trials must be proved with evidence, and not by media narratives or public sentiment.
“It’s not good for national development, for justice that criminals escape because of poor investigation,” Amadi said.
He added that it was also dangerous for people who are not guilty to be convicted merely because of public opinion.
Amadi noted that Diezani’s UK case was prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service, CPS, based on evidence supplied by the National Crime Agency, NCA, which had also worked with Nigeria’s EFCC in relation to the investigation.
He said the charges before the UK court involved five counts of bribery and one count of conspiracy to bribe, but the jury was not persuaded by the evidence presented by prosecutors.
“The key point here is she was acquitted. The trial jury says, no, we can’t convict this woman, we’re not convinced, and she’s off,” he said.
However, Amadi explained that the acquittal should not be treated as a blanket declaration that Diezani is innocent of every allegation ever made against her.
He said the principle of double jeopardy may arise if Nigerian authorities attempt to prosecute her on the same facts and same bribery allegations already tried in the UK, but that Nigeria may still proceed on different offences if credible evidence exists.
According to him, the EFCC should not charge her again simply on the basis of reciprocity or the same factual foundation already tested abroad.
He said, “If there are other evidence, evidence for other charges, similar related charges, they are free to charge.”
Amadi criticised the quality of EFCC investigations, saying failed prosecutions in major cases often expose gaps in evidence-gathering and case preparation.
He argued that the agency must improve its investigative capacity if it wants to secure convictions in serious corruption matters.
According to him, the failure of the Diezani-related UK prosecution also raises questions about the quality of information supplied by Nigerian investigators.
He said the anti-graft agency must build cases capable of standing in court rather than relying on the public profile of accused persons.
“The whole criminal prosecution process is to filter out what is fact from fiction and to look at evidence that is probative enough to establish the facts that connect a crime,” he said.
On whether Diezani should return to Nigeria after her UK acquittal, Amadi said the former minister has a moral obligation to come back and answer any pending criminal allegations against her.
“The right thing would be to step into the country, now that you’re free from the UK. She needs to come back home and prove her innocence,” he said.
He also noted that Nigerian law provides for the trial of certain defendants in absentia, saying the EFCC could still file charges against her if there is sufficient evidence.
Amadi said he does not believe the present administration would subject Diezani to political persecution if she returns, adding that she should be given a fair trial.
He also argued that some of the hostility directed at the former minister may have been influenced by factors beyond corruption allegations, including gender, personality and public perception of how she exercised power while in office.
According to him, Diezani became a controversial figure partly because she operated in a male-dominated political environment and was perceived as powerful and assertive.
He, however, maintained that she should not be singled out as uniquely culpable without proof, noting that corruption has long been a problem across successive Nigerian governments.
Amadi said Nigeria’s anti-corruption system would be stronger if investigations and prosecutions were handled by trained professionals under a more efficient prosecutorial framework.
He urged Nigeria to improve the quality of its prosecution services, drawing comparison with the United Kingdom’s CPS model.
TNL had earlier reported that Diezani spoke after her acquittal in the United Kingdom and questioned asset forfeiture proceedings in Nigeria and the United States. TNL also reported that the Federal High Court in Abuja allowed her to tender evidence of the London judgment in her ongoing suit against the EFCC over asset forfeiture. (TheNigeriaLawyer)
Diezani has not been convicted of the allegations in Nigeria.
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