Respected cleric and the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan has called on the Federal Government to pardon those involved in money laundering once they agree to return the looted funds.
Onaiyekan made the appeal at the St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Nyanya as part of his New Year message for the nation in Abuja.
The cleric said that the ongoing developments were clear indications that corruption could be wiped over time, adding that the fight against fraudulent acts must be handled with care.
“It is okay to expose people and disgrace them, but that will not solve the problem.
“If we want our money back, we have to strategise so that the countries that are keeping our money can feel challenged to return them.
“The easiest way to get the money back is to convince them to go bring the money back, and then it will be easy.
“One way to convince people to bring stolen money back is to promise them that they will not be disgraced,’’ Onaiyekan said.
According to him, the amnesty is not like a plea bargain which only leads to the return of some stolen funds.
“This is different from plea bargain where you tell a person who stole hundred billion of naira to return fifty billion and be forgiven; that for me is not the right thing.
“If you have stolen hundred million and you are ready to bring back all, then we will leave you and not send you to jail, Nigeria can do that.”
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