NBA, others back 10-year jail term for pension thieves

   

Some prominent lawyers on Thursday backed the proposal by the Federal Government to enact a law with a provision of 10 years imprisonment for anyone convicted of misappropriation of pension fund.

The proposal was contained in a bill forwarded by President Goodluck Jonathan to the National Assembly on Wednesday.

Part of the bill reads: "Any Pension Fund Administrator or Pension Fund Custodian or person or body, who misappropriates or diverts pension funds, commits an offence under this Act.

"The individual or group will also be liable on conviction to a fine of an amount equal to three times the amount misappropriated or diverted, or to a term of not less than 10 years or both the fine and imprisonment."

Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, Mr. Onyekachi Ubani, said the proactive step taken by the government was commendable.

“We must commend the proactive step that is being taken now to enact a law that specifically targets pension thieves,” Ubani said.

He urged government to demonstrate the political will to bring such offenders to justice.

Ubani said: "We have many laws in our law books to deal with cases of corruption but there must be political will to prosecute anybody caught committing this crime to a logical conclusion."

Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, Executive Director, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), a human rights group, called for more diligent investigation and prosecution of fraud cases in the country.

"It appears to be a step in the right direction but the bottom line is whether the prosecution will be able to present concrete evidence to warrant conviction of the pension thieves.

"The anti-graft agencies should not be interested in arraignment for arraignment's sake, but they should be able to conduct thorough investigation before charging people to court," Mumuni said.

Another human rights lawyer, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, said that enforcement of the nation's law was critical in the fight to end all forms of corruption and embezzlement of public funds.

Aturu said: "Our problem is not whether we have punishments for offenders: but are we enforcing these punishments?

"People who steal other people's pensions don't deserve to live among human beings, but we need to deal with how to enforce these punishments."

On his part, Mr. Adebamigbe Omole, a former Chairman of Ikeja branch of the NBA, said stiffer punishments should be extended to all forms of corrupt and fraudulent practice.

"This should not only be for pension thieves, but for anybody involved in corruption and embezzlement.

"The punishment must be severe, because their crime is against the well-being of the society,'' he said.