Alamieyeseigha Should Be Extradited To The UK - Sagay

Prof Itse Sagay, the chairman of the presidential advisory committee on corruption has said that the former governor of Bayelsa state, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha deserves to be extradited to London based on the demand of the United Kingdom.
The former governor was granted a presidential pardon in 2013 by former president Goodluck Jonathan who incidentally served as deputy governor to Alamieyeseigha when he was governor of Bayelsa state.



The Punch reports that Andrew Pocock, the British high commissioner to Nigeria said Alamieyeseigha skipped bail in UK and had a case of money laundering still pending in the UK and the government would not relent until Alamieyeseigha answers to the charges.
“The former governor skipped bail in the UK on a charge of money laundering and returned to Nigeria. So, he has an outstanding charge in the UK, which is there for him to answer.
“We have already discussed it and the Nigerian government knows our views. But we would like to see him return and answer the charge in the UK.”
Doyin Okupe who was the senior special assistant on public affairs to Goodluck Jonathan said Alamieyeseigha had already been punished and subsequently pardoned by Jonathan and thus there was no need for him to be extradited to the UK. He added that since the offence was committed against the people of Nigeria who had duly punished him, the UK had no business.
Sagay argued that the former governor committed a separate crime in Britain and needed to answer to it and that Jonathan’s pardon was not enough to cancel that.
“Alamieyeseigha allegedly committed a separate crime by laundering money in Britain and that is not a crime in Nigeria but a crime against British Criminal Law and so, Goodluck Jonathan cannot pardon him for that.”
He said Nigeria and Britain had an established agreement to extradite criminals but that the absence of an attorney general might stall the process.
“Certainly, the case can be stalled but there is a pact between Britain and Nigeria which obliges us to extradite offenders who they are looking for. There is a process. A judge will give consent once there is evidence that there is a prima facie case against him in England.”
The professor dismissed any claim that the extradition of Alamieyeseigha would be considered a form of which hunt which he sees as the new defence used by people facing the law.
“This is the new defence for criminal prosecution which is being drummed up in Nigeria. It does not exist in law. Witch-hunt has never been a defence in court. The plea is guilty or not guilty. You are a real witch if you are guilty and should be hunted.”
The former governor’s case is coming up just days after Diezani Alison-Madueke was reportedly arrested in the UK by the UK national crime agency. She was later released on bail and expected to return on Monday, October 5 for questioning.