Debt penalty for treasury looters: Our hands are tied, says Senate

Despite popular calls for the senate to enact a law stipulating death penalty for treasury looters, the senate has it cannot enact such laws because it is difficult for the Senate President to direct any senator to produce such a bill.

Spokesperson for the Senate, Godya Akwashiki, who disclosed this, however, challenged the executive arm of government, groups or individuals to initiate bills that prescribe the death penalty for treasury looters and see if the upper chamber would not push them through.

“It is not possible for the Senate President to direct any senator to go and produce a particular type of bill. All of us are elected to represent our constituency from various parts of the country,” he told Punch.

The Senate spokesperson also said different punishments were already prescribed against corruption in the acts that established the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

“We have the ICPC Act and the EFCC Act and there are punishments there for offenders. I want to believe we are going gradually. However, any bill that would criminalise looting is a good proposal that the Senate could consider,” he said.

He also described as untrue insinuations that senators, particularly former governors and ministers in the red chamber, would reject such legislation in order to protect themselves.

Stressing that the red chamber would support any bill that criminalises corruption, Akwashiki said, “This country belongs to all of us. Every person in this country has the right to present their opinion in terms of enacting an Act for the benefit of the people.

He also said not all former governors or former ministers in the red chamber were corrupt. “We have 109 senators. How many are former governors or ministers? Are you saying we could get 60 senators who are either former governors or ministers? Senate is a place where everybody is free to express their opinions, according to the wishes of the people who elected them. The Senate chamber is higher than any former governor or minister.”

Meanwhile, the Senate spokesperson said the red chamber had yet to discuss the issue of the death penalty in the hate speech bill because the proposal still remained the personal property of the sponsor until it passed second reading.

He said, “The issue of expunging the death penalty from the hate speech bill is not the decision of the Senate yet. There is a process of enacting an Act. The bill will pass first, second and third readings.

“I have said it times without number that the hate speech bill is a private member bill. When we get to its second reading that is when Nigerians will know the position of the Senate on the bill. If the bill does not pass second reading, that will be its end.