Budget 2018: Consider ICC prosecution over cutting of projects by NASS - SERAP tells Buhari
- SERAP has accused the leadership and members of the National Assembly of engaging in crimes against humanity
- It accused the National Assembly of unilaterally cutting funding for critical projects and replacing such projects with their own
- According to the group, those sing legislative powers to allocate resources for personal gains should be as guilty as those who commit widespread crimes against the population
The leadership and members of the National Assembly have been accused by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) of “apparently engaging in crimes against humanity against millions of Nigerians, Vanguard reports.
Legit.ng gathered that SERAP said the National Assembly is doing this by by unilaterally cutting funding for critical projects such as health, water, education, housing and security, and replacing such projects with their own personal projects totalling 6,403 projects and amounting to N578 billion.
According to the group the National Assembly cut funding for over 4,000 critical projects amounting to N347 billion.
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The group also advised President Muhammadu Buhari to instruct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami to open discussion with the office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to establish whether substantial grounds and the requisite elements exist to warrant the intervention of the Prosecutor in this case.
SERAP in a statement on Thursday, June 21, by the deputy director Timothy Adewale said: “Indicting individual lawmakers suspected to be most responsible for the reduction of funding for critical projects would provide a much-needed measure of accountability for leaders who have traditionally acted with impunity, assured that they will never be held to answer for their actions.
"Cutting funding for essential public services such as health, education and security constitutes a serious human rights violation and potentially rises to the level of crimes against humanity against the Nigerian people.
“The deliberate and systematic acts of alleged budget padding and cutting of funding by the lawmakers coupled with the widespread negative consequences of such acts for millions of Nigerians across the country point to not only allegations of corruption but also crimes against humanity, that is, deliberately withholding access of Nigerians to essential and life-saving public services, which is triable at the International Criminal Court.”
“Apart from pursuing a possible crime against humanity prosecution before the ICC, President Buhari should also move swiftly to enforce the judgment delivered last month by Justice Mohammed Idris in suit no: FHC/L/CS/1821/2017 ordering the President to ask anti-corruption agencies to forward to him reports of their investigations into allegations of padding and stealing of some N481 billion from the 2016 budget, and to ensure effort prosecution of suspects.”
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SERAP said the failure to decisively address allegations of padding of the 2016 budget is responsible for the continuation of such practice. It said it is important to combat impunity of lawmakers for allegations of budget padding to end such practice and deter future lawmakers from using their legislative functions as a weapon for promoting personal gains.
“Crimes against humanity invoke criminal responsibility. Although the authorities bear the responsibility for violations of the rights to health, water, education and security, it is possible to hold individuals responsible for massive and grave violations of these human rights through the operation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to which Nigeria is a state party. Nigeria deposited its instrument of ratification on 27 September 2001.
“Those suspected of using legislative powers to allocate resources for personal gains and as an instrument to violate Nigerians’ human rights should be as guilty as those who commit traditional systematic and widespread crimes against the population, particularly the socially and economically vulnerable sectors of the population.
“Crimes against humanity in article 7 of the Rome Statute are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack. Crimes against humanity are also committed as “other inhumane acts of similar character intentionally causing great suffering, as described in article 7(1) (k) of the Rome Statute," the group added.
SERAP continued: “Justice Idris has stated that ‘the allegation of budget padding is worrying, and if proved, criminal and therefore deserving of prosecution by the relevant agency of government. The Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 makes it an offence for any person to corruptly enrich himself or in possession of unexplained or illicit wealth and allows criminal penalties and forfeiture during an investigation there are reasonable grounds to believe that corruption has been committed, that is, the stealing and padding of the 2016 budget.
“Justice Idris also stated that ‘there is no doubt that stealing, and budget padding are offences which fall within the class of corrupt practices envisaged in the ICPC Act. To this extent, President Buhari is under a legal duty to give effect to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the ICPC Act by instituting and undertaking criminal proceedings against indicted officers of the National Assembly who are alleged to have stolen and padded the 2016 budget."
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Legit.ng previously reported that President Muhammmadu Buhari on Wednesday, June 20, signed the 2018 budget but lamented that lawmakers made cuts amounting to N347 billion in the allocations to 4,700 projects he submitted for consideration.
The president added that the lawmakers also introduced 6,403 projects of their own amounting to N578 billion.
Recall that the National Assembly had on May 16 passed the 2018 Appropriation Bill, increasing the proposal of N8.612 trillion presented by President Buhari last December to N9.120 trillion.
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Source: Legit.ng
