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…Mull establishment of ecclesiastical courts
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes has recommended the arrest of the Chief Executive Officer of Binance Holding Ltd over alleged tax evasion and money laundering in Nigeria.
The recommendation followed a motion by Isah Dogonyaro at a public hearing yesterday in Abuja.
The hearing was on a petition by the Empowerment Fund for Nigerian Youth Initiative and the Niger Delta Youth Council of Nigeria on several crimes allegedly committed by Binance.
Binance is an online financial company, operating in the Nigerian cyber space for more than six years, with not less than 20 million Nigerians on the platform.
Moving the motion, Dogonyaro said the committee earlier invited the CEO of Binance to appear and respond to questions on terrorism, tax evasion and money laundering against the company, but he failed to appear.
He said the committee gave another chance to enable the Binance chief executive to appear on March 4, 2024, but he has refused to appear again.
According to him, the refusal to appear is an insult on the committee and the Nigerian people.
In his response, the legal counsel to Bianance, Mr Senator Ihenyen, said the company had responded in writing to all the allegations levelled against the company.
He said the company was also ready to provide more answers in writing if the need arises in the cause of the hearing.
Ihenyen, however, explained that the company was concerned over the safety of its officials in Nigeria, following the recent arrest of two senior officials of the company.
The counsel explained that two top officials of the company, who came to Nigeria, were arrested by the office of the National Security Adviser.
In his ruling, the Chairman of the committee, Ginger Obinna said the committee had taken a position on its last sitting not to entertain legal representation from Binance.
He said the leadership of Binance should be arrested and brought to the committee to answer questions of the grave allegations levelled against the company in a petition brought to the committee.
“This committee has resolved to recommend to the House to invoke its constitutional powers by issuing a subpoena, and a warrant for Binance chief executive to be arrested and brought to this committee to answer questions on terrorism, money laundering, and other financial crimes as stated in the petition, including evasion of tax,” he said.
The chairman thanked the petitioners for unearthing the grievous financial crimes, and the exploitation of 20 million young Nigerians in the last six years.
Meanwhile, the House has proposed a bill to alter the 1999 Constitution to establish the Ecclesiastical Court of Appeal for states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The bill is sponsored by a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Delta State, Francis Waive. The proposed legislation, if passed into law, will be the Christian version of the Sharia court.
The proposed amendment to Section 281(1) states that “the appointment of a person to the office of the Grand Cardinal of the Ecclesiastical Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, shall be made by the President on recommendation of the National Judicial Council, subject to the confirmation of such appointment by the House.
“(2) the appointment of a person to the office of a Cardinal of the Ecclesiastical Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, shall be made by the President on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council.”
Furthermore, proposed amendment to Section 282 (4) states that “if the office of the Grand Cardinal of the Ecclesiastical Court of Appeal is vacant or if the person holding the office is for any reason unable to perform the functions of the office, then, until a person has been so appointed and has assumed those functions, the President shall appoint the most senior Cardinal from among the Cardinals of the Ecclesiastical Court to perform those functions.
“(5) except on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, an appointment pursuant to the provisions of subsection (4) of this section shall cease to have after the expiration of three months from the date of such appointment, and the President shall not re-appoint a person whose appointment has elapsed.”
According to Section 282(1) “the Ecclesiastical Court of Appeal shall, in addition to such other jurisdiction as may be conferred upon it by an Act of the National Assembly, exercise such appellate and supervisory jurisdiction in civil proceedings, involving questions of Ecclesiastical Law, Christian Personal Law or Ecclesiastical Law. “
Efforts to get a reaction from the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, were unsuccessful, as his media aide, Luminous Jannamike, did not respond to calls to his mobile phone, at press time.
But the Executive Director, Muslim Right Concern (MURIC), Professor Ishaq Akintola, told Daily Sun in a telephone interview: “We have no objection whatsoever. So, long as Muslims are not dragged there, we are happy for them. If the Christians make progress, we are happy. If the Muslims are making progress, nobody should stop us.”
