TheCable

The federal government has promised to make public the list of suspected treasury looters.

Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), made the promise while speaking with state house correspondents on Wednesday.

But he said that would only happen after the government had “fulfilled judicial principles”.

A federal high court in Lagos had compelled the government to release information about high-ranking public officials from whom public funds were recovered.

Hadiza Shagari, a judge, gave the ruling following a freedom of information suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

Reacting to the judgment, Malami said the government was aware of its responsibility to disclose relevant information but that due process must be followed.

“I want to place to on record that we have in place the freedom of information act and the government is fully aware of its responsibility arising from that legislation,” he said.

“The issue that is fundamentally worthy of consideration is the fact that the government will definitely be alive to its responsibility as far as those disclosures are concerned.

“You have to take into consideration that there are a lot of factors that are to be considered as far as making those disclosures are concerned.

“So the government will at the appropriate time make necessary disclosures perhaps intermittently against the background of the prevailing conditions relating to the tendency of certain suits and associated things.”

Malami also spoke on how matters that are pending in court had been restricting government from making some disclosures.

“There are matters of reconciliation, compilations and associated things,” he said.

“On need and compliance basis, the federal government has been making necessary statements public, and then courts in their own rights, in the course of adjudication of cases, keep making judgements and statements as they relate to the parties.”