Alamieyeseigha Is a Thief Abroad but To Jonathan He Is Not
The emotionally charged contention over President Goodluck Jonathan’s state pardon granted former Gov of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, just won’t go away. The issue resurfaced with news of the United States of America (USA) formal seizure of Alamieyeseigha’s $700,000 (about N105 million) mansion in Rockville, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C. The home is owned by Solomon & Peters Ltd., a shelf company controlled by Alamieyeseigha.
The seizure of Alamieyeseigha’s U.S. corrupt property gives further disgrace to Jonathan’s pardon.
It is a noteworthy fact that he had, last year, forfeited a $401,931 Massachusetts brokerage fund in the US. The latest legal sanction against Alamieyeseigha abroad is most welcome and heart-warming as it sends a correct signal that corrupt public office holders will not be allowed to enjoy their ill-gotten wealth, no matter where such loot may be located.
“Foreign leaders who think they can use the United States as a stash-house are sorely mistaken,” Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman said in a statement, adding, “Through the Kleptocracy Initiative, we stand with the victims of foreign official corruption as we seek to forfeit the proceeds of corrupt leaders’ illegal activities.” Although it is not clear whether the funds would be returned to Nigeria, this should be the logical and proper thing to do.
Symbolically, this development has further stamped a huge question mark on the moral standpoint of the Jonathan administration, especially in the anti-corruption context. Also, by implication, this property seizure linked with corrupt acts has further exposed the rottenness of Alamieyeseigha’s contrived pardon. Indeed, Jonathan faced an intense storm of public criticism when in March he hid under constitutional provisions to, among others, officially and unconditionally pardon Alamieyeseigha who in 2007 was locally convicted of high-profile financial corruption and sentenced to a two-year jail term; in addition, he forfeited massive money and property.
Considering the gravity of the charges against Alamieyeseigha, and the sheer scale of his guilt, there was widespread condemnation of Jonathan’s forgiving move, which was viewed as not only opportunistic, but also unconscionable and unscrupulous. At the time, this newspaper took the popular position that Alamieyeseigha was undeserving of pardon, and should not enjoy such redemption. Alamieyeseigha’s absolution not only left a sour taste in the mouth; it was also decidedly stomach-churning.
This is a man who was charged with buying properties worth over $8 million with bribes he received from contractors while serving as governor, and who pleaded guilty to money laundering on behalf of two companies he controlled – Solomon & Peters Ltd; and Alamieyeseigha and Santolina Investment Corp. Even more dramatic was the discovery of a cool one million British pounds stashed in his London home during a search by the city’s Metropolitan Police; and another hefty sum of almost two million British pounds was found in his bank account in the UK.
His movie-like and mysterious 2005 escape from London where he was facing money laundering charges has become the stuff of legend, and such was the story that it has spawned what many see as fantasy that he fled the city disguised as a woman while on bail. Alamieyeseigha has denied this, though. Back home, he lost his position following his impeachment by an outraged Bayelsa State House of Assembly, and was subsequently prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Alamieyeseigha’s scandalous behaviour in office scandalised all right-thinking people of conscience, except Jonathan and his camp, who made self-serving arguments to justify a clear immorality. In the light of the recent US penalty against Alamieyeseigha, however, the Federal Government has again not only been rightly exposed to perhaps unfamiliar lessons in public morality; it has also been deservedly embarrassed by the evident limitations of the state pardon granted him.
Interestingly, it is a mockery of the concept that Alamieyeseigha, nevertheless, remains in chains. Reports say he is still under investigation in some Western countries and risks arrest should he step out of Nigeria. To go by the unfolding ramifications of this naked abuse of presidential discretion, for that is exactly what it was, the administration cannot escape more and more shame over the Alamieyeseigha pardon.
[An Editorial of The Nation]
