The Pandora Papers, which constitute 2.9 terabytes of data, list a total of 35 current and former national leaders and at least 400 other public officials and 100 billionaires from about 100 countries. While it is not a crime for private individuals to set up offshore companies, Nigeria’s law forbids public officials from doing so. Auwal Rafsanjani, Executive Director, Nigeria’s TI chapter, says the regime needs to investigate the Pandora Papers revelations irrespective of the political affiliation of the individuals. He adds that the government should equip the Code of Conduct Bureau with staff and resources to adequately scrutinise officials’ asset declarations. The law expressly prohibits public officers from operating foreign accounts or running private businesses except farming.

Source: Punch October 11, 2021 23:15 UTC