Buhari presents 2 anti-corruption bill to Senate.

As his campaign against corruption continues,
President Buhari yesterday sent a letter to the
Senate asking for the amendment of two bills
that will advance his fight against corruption.
The bills are the Money Laundering Prevention
and Prohibition Bill 2016 and the Mutual Legal
Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill 2016.
The Money Laundering Prevention and
Prohibition Bill 2016, if passed into law, would
expand the scope of money laundering
offenses, provide protection for employees of
various institutions as well as bodies who may
discover money laundering, and the
establishment of mutual legal assistance in
criminal matters.
The bill if passed into law will also enhance
customer due diligence, provide appropriate
penalties and expand the scope of supervisory
bodies, while recognizing the role of certain
self-regulatory organisations to address the
challenges faced in implementation of
comprehensive anti-money regime.
The second bill, Mutual Legal Assistance in
Criminal Matters Bill 2016, seeks to facilitate
the assistance of other countries whenever a
criminal offence is committed outside Nigeria.
Such assistance will include the provision and
obtaining of evidence. The Bill also seeks the
making of arrangements for persons to give
evidence or assist in criminal investigations;
recovery, forfeiture or confiscation of property in
respect of offences; the restraining of dealings
in property or the freezing of assets that may
be recovered. It also seeks the forfeiting, or
confiscation in respect of offences, the
execution of request for search and seizure, the
location and identification of witnesses and
suspects, the service of documents and other
matters connected with it.
The letter reads in part “Money Laundering
Prevention and Prohibition Bill 2016: This bill
provides for the repeal of the Money Laundering
Prohibition Act 2011, as amended in 2012, to
make comprehensive provisions to prohibit the
laundering of the criminal activities, expand the
scope of money laundering offences, provide
protection for employees of various institutions,
bodies and professions who may discover
money laundering, enhance customer due
diligence, provide appropriate penalties and
expand the scope of supervisory bodies, while
recognising the role of certain self-regulatory
organisations to address the challenges faced
in implementation of comprehensive anti-
money regime. The Mutual Legal Assistance in
Criminal Matters Bill 2016.
This bill seeks to facilitate the provision and
obtaining by Nigeria of international assistance
in criminal matters, including the provision and
obtaining of evidence, the making of
arrangements for persons to give evidence or
assist in criminal investigations, recovery,
forfeiture or confiscation of property in respect
of offences; the restraining of dealings in
property or the freezing of assets that may be
recovered, forfeited or confiscated in respect of
offences; the execution of request for search
and seizure, the location and identification of Witnesses and suspects, the service of documents and other matters connected herewith "