Financial crime prosecution, legal certainty and exigency of policy: case of Nigeria's EFCC
Purpose – In its fight against money laundering involving politically exposed persons (PEPs), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has the dual mandate of maintaining equilibrium between two fundamental, but sharply contradictory objectives: establishing guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and responding to the policy imperative of nipping corruption in the bud through a pro-active involvement in preventative measures. This paper contends that as a result of the tension between these two divergent ends, the agency has found itself the spider in a cobweb of legalism designed by its adversaries to stymie its operations. Furthermore, and as a matter of priority, the paper calls for a major rethink of the appropriateness of criminal jurisdiction in the prosecution of financial crimes in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Case study and textual analysis of literature. Findings – Civil jurisdiction of extracting the proceeds of the ...
Bribery and corruption in telecommunications: the case of Kenya
Purpose – This paper aims to examine how telecommunications in Kenya was affected by the absence of good governance and the presence of rent-seeking by ministers. Design/methodology/approach – A single-country case study combining approaches of anti-corruption and telecommunications methodologies using secondary and legal sources. Findings – Corruption has been a significant factor, but has also led to distortions in the market which may have been more significant. Research limitations/implications – Given the sensitivity of corrupt dealing, it is impracticable to interview the principals, some of whose identities are concealed behind front companies. Practical implications – It is necessary to modify telecommunications practice to eliminate the use of front companies and those registered in opaque registries to identify conflicts of interests. Originality/value – This is one of only four countries examined in terms of bribery and corruption in telecommunications.
How to interpret surveys in medical research: A practical approach
Surveys are being used increasingly in health-care research to answer questions that may be difficult to answer using other methods. While surveys depend on data that may be influenced by self-report bias, they can be powerful tools as physicians seek to enhance the quality of care delivered or the health care systems they work in. The purpose of this article is to provide readers with a basic framework for understanding survey research, with a goal of creating well-informed consumers. The importance of validation, including pretesting surveys before launch, will be discussed. Highlights from published surveys are offered as supplementary material. Was the survey well designed? Was the sample appropriate and the response rate adequate? And do the data support the conclusions?