The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has opined that those convicted for corruption should not be granted state pardon.
Fagbemi further urged that law enforcement agencies stop the culture of shoddy investigations including their having their facts before summoning anyone for questioning.
In a statement by the Special Assistant to the President on Communication and Publicity, Office of the AGF, Kamarudeen Ogundele, on Monday, in Abuja, the AGF stressed that the cooperation of everyone was needed to fight corruption.
According to the statement, the AGF spoke at a roundtable organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for state attorneys general in Abuja on Monday.
The statement quoted the minister as saying, “I will suggest in our next constitution review exercise that we expunge those found guilty of corruption from benefiting from powers of ‘prerogative of mercy’ to serve as a deterrent to others.
“The cooperation of all stakeholders, especially the AGs, is crucial in the fight against corruption.”
The minister added: “Let us be thorough and take our time before inviting someone for questioning. Don’t do a shoddy job and be quick to say we have caught a big fish…You will catch a big fish. If it is two or three big fishes you are able to get in a year and you are thorough, it is alright.”
President Goodluck Jonathan and President Muhammadu Buhari granted controversial pardons for convicted former governors.
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