The Senate has passed an amendment to the Act Establishing the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The amendment followed the consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes during plenary yesterday. The committee is chaired by Sen. Suleiman Kwari (APC-Kaduna).
Key among the provisions is the amendment to section 25 of the Act, which proposes two-year imprisonment with no option of fine on anyone whose petitions to the commission are found to be false or misleading. In the principal act, the offence of false petition attracts a fine of N100,000.
The amendment in section (25) (1) says: “Any statement which, to the knowledge of the person making the statement, or causing the statement to be made is false, or intended to mislead shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.
In his remarks, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, commended the lawmakers in “the painstaking manner the report was considered. It is our hope that it will make ICPC better.”
