The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has grilled some aides of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, for allegedly selling presidential pardon.
There is suspicion of corruption in the compilation of the presidential pardon list.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari pardoned a former Governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye and the former Governor of Taraba State, Jolly Nyame, who are currently serving jail terms for corruption.
The decision was reached by the president after getting the nod of the Council of State on April 15.
The council is made up of the president, vice-president, former heads of state, former chief justices, senate president, speaker, governors and the attorney-general of the federation (AGF).
President Buhari submitted the names of 162 persons to the council for advice after the recommendation of the presidential prerogative of the mercy committee.
Everyone on the list was pardoned, except Francis Atuche, former managing director of Bank PHB, and two others.
The decision of the president to pardon the former governors has stirred reactions online.
Despite the pardon granted by President Buhari, Dariye and Nyame are yet to be released from prison.
According to TheCable, sources at the ministry of justice disclosed that several aides of Malami who were responsible for the processing of the list are currently being questioned by EFCC
An official of the ministry said, “Of particular surprise is the inclusion of Atuche on the list that was submitted to the Council of State.
“There are several names that raised suspicion and the EFCC had to be called in to investigate what went down.
“Mrs Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, director of the administration of criminal justice and reforms department under the justice ministry, is also being quizzed by the EFCC.”
A further report has it that the aides invited have been subjected to lie detector tests “and many of them are failing”.
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