Wednesday, November 2, 2016

‘Investigators, prosecutors vital to anti-graft campaign’

Latest: Corruption and Money Laundering.


Cristina Albertin
By Godwin Dunia   |   02 November 2016   |   2:34 am

The Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Cristina Albertin, has said the success of the fight against corruption depends on the objectivity of the judiciary in the dispensation of justice.
She stressed the importance of investigators and prosecutors in the campaign as vital to development, social “The integrity of investigators and prosecutors must be beyond reproach. The best law has no value if it is not enforced. 
The best judges and magistrates are redundant if the cases are never brought to them or if cases brought to them are incomplete or inadmissible in evidence,” she said.

Albertin stated this on Monday at the opening session of a workshop on “Corruption Casework Training for Judges, Prosecutors and Senior Investigators” in Lagos. The programme was organised to support the anti-corruption crusade in Nigeria.
According to her: “One of the greatest challenges in the fight against corruption has been the low number of convictions. Cases hardly proceed to full hearing because accused persons raise numerous interlocutory applications which end up obscuring the real issues before the court.”
The UNODC officer commended the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), which was enacted with the support of UNDOC to streamline procedures and prevent abuse of court process.
She urged stakeholders to use the ACJA to ensure that criminal cases including corruption and money laundering are adjudicated in a fair manner to all the parties involved.justice and eradication of poverty.

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