A human rights organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has asked the International Criminal Court to commence an investigation into the alleged $6bn scam in the nation’s fuel subsidy scheme.
The organisation also asked the ICC to “urge the Nigerian government to recover all stolen money and ensure a transparent spending of recovered funds.”
The investigation, SERAP said, would assist in determining whether the offences amounted to crimes against humanity within the jurisdiction of the ICC.
The Executive Director of SERAP, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, in a petition to the ICC Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, dated April 20 2012 in Abuja, said the ICC should “examine and investigate whether the widespread and systematic corruption and theft of over $6bn in the fuel subsidy scheme over a period of three years and its devastating effects on millions of Nigerians amount to inhumane acts intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health as provided by Article 7 of the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court.”
According to SERAP, the ICC should prevail on the Federal Government to fulfil its obligations to effectively and fairly investigate and prosecute all allegations of grand and widespread corruption in the fuel subsidy system.
SERAP said, “The reported massive corruption has caused so much suffering, and thrown millions of Nigerians deeper into poverty, depriving them their human dignity, and access to resources and capabilities, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of legally recognized economic, social and cultural rights.”
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