The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged a review of Nigerian laws to enable anti-graft agencies in the country retain a percentage of the loot recovered to fund their operations.
Mr Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of EFCC, said the review will be in line with international best practices.
“In some jurisdictions like the UK, proceeds of crime are further used to strengthen the agency,” Magu said.
He made the request at the national anti-corruption conference organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC) and the National Assembly in Abuja.
“In EFCC, we have been struggling for years to build our headquarters and when I think of the billions of naira we recover, I can see what would have happened if we are allowed to apply a percentage of this recovery into our operations.”
The EFCC boss also advocated the amendment of the country’s anti-graft laws to place the burden of proof on the accused in corruption cases.
“One the issues that concerns us in the EFCC is that of non-conviction based recovery.
“It is of great concern to us that the burden is on us to prove in court that this is a proceed of crime.
“But in other climes the accused has to prove that the property he has, actually represents the fruit of his labour.
“There is the need for the Act to make a provision for an application of the proceeds of crime into recapitalising the anti graft agencies.”