Political Briefs
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EMBATTLED Sambo Dasuki, a retired colonel and former national security adviser, may not get government approval to travel out of the country for medical treatment soon. Abubakar Malami, SAN, attorney-general of the Federation, AGF, and minister of Justice, on Thursday, November 19, said the federal government did not disobey the order of a federal high court, Abuja which granted Dasuki permission to travel on a medical trip to the United Kingdom.
But that the operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, were justified in their continuing barricade of Dasuki’s Abuja home, because he failed to submit himself to investigation on further allegations apart from the charges pending against him before the federal high court.
Malami, who fielded questions from journalists, said the action of the government with respect to the former NSA’s case was in the public interest.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the federal high court in Abuja, where Dasuki is being prosecuted on four counts of money laundering and illegal possession of firearms, had on Monday, November 16, directed the AGF or his representative to appear before the court on November 23, to tell the court his order was disobeyed.
But Malami gave an undertaking that under President Muhammadu Buhari, “there shall not be flouting of court orders.”
He said: “In some of these cases, some of these high profile culprits may be involved in multiple cases that might require investigation. If you are granted bail in respect of one issue, and the need arises for further investigation in other criminal offences, the law of the land requires investigation and you are bound as a good citizen of the country to submit yourself to investigation.
“The interest of the nation reigns supreme above an individual’s interest. So when the national interest is at stake and it has to be investigated, individual interest naturally gives way.
“It is not enough to conclude that the order was flouted. You have to look at the peculiarities of the prevailing cases on the ground. You can be granted bail with respect to one case and there can be other cases that public policy demands investigation. It is only natural to allow investigations to be concluded having regard to the public interest that reigns supreme over and above individual interest.
“The point for consideration is whether the public interest is there as against the individual interest. But as it is, this government is going to uphold due compliance to the rule of law and sustain public interest and sustenance of its tenets.”
President Buhari, on receiving the interim report of the 13-man committee set up by the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and defence sector from 2007 to date, on Tuesday, November 17, ordered the arrest of all indicted persons, including Dasuki.
The report, among other issues, alleged that Dasuki, in his post as NSA, misappropriated billions of dollars and naira on failed and fictitious contracts.
— Nov 30, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT
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