The Senate has resolved to suspend its planned amendment of certain sections of the Code of Conduct act and other anti- corruption laws.
The bill was initiated
and referred to its committees on
Judiciary and Ethics, Privileges
and Public Petitions last week.
The timing of the bill and the speed with which it entered committee stage had drawn suspicion of attempts to reduce the powers of anti-corruption agencies in response to the ongoing trial of Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki.
The Upper Chamber also resolved
to suspend amendment of
Administration of Criminal Justice
Acts (ACJA).
These decisions were taken during
the Senate’s closed door session
on Wednesday.
The lawmakers had on April 14
introduced a bill for an
amendment of the Code of
Conduct Tribunal and Bureau Act,
rushing it through second reading
just 48 hours after it was first
read.
The bill, sponsored by Peter
Nwaoboshi (PDP-Delta State),
passed second reading and was
subsequently referred to the
committees on Judiciary and
Ethics, Privileges and Public
Petitions.
The committees was to report
back in two weeks.
THE AMENDMENT
The bill seeks to amend Section 3 of the Code
of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act “to give
every public officer appearing before the
Bureau fair hearing as provided for under
Section 36 (2)(a) of the CFRN 1999 which
provides:
“For an opportunity for the person whose
rights and obligations may be affected to
make representations to the administering
authority before that authority makes the
decision affecting that person.”
The existing law, Mr. Nwaoboshi said in his
lead argument, does not provide for the
Bureau (CCB)to take written statement from
concerned public officers before referring a
matter of alleged non-compliance to the
Tribunal (the CCT).
