The Corporate Affairs Commission is to grant the Code of Conduct Bureau access to its database to ensure seamless investigation of Companies suspected to be engaged in illicit activities.
Registrar Generalof, CAC, Garba Abubakar who gave the commitment when the CCB Chairman, Professor Muhammad Isah paid him a courtesy visit to said the time was ripe for the Commission to explore more areas of collaboration particularly real-time.
A statement signed by the CAC Head of Media Unit, Rasheed Mahe said Alhaji Garba Abubakar stressed that in view of his agency’s strategic collaboration with other anti-corruption agencies like the EFCC, ICPC and INTERPOL the Commission established a dedicated unit to expeditiously handle requests for information and other services gratis.
He added that anyone could conduct what he called “a first level check” on the status of any company on the CAC Website via the Public Search window at no cost.
The statement said the RG who spoke on the introduction of Beneficial Ownership Disclosure or Person with Significant Control, revealed that the disclosure would soon be extended to open data format to enable investigators extract information on any Company as well as query the database to amongst others detect whether a particular name had featured in different Companies.
Mr. Abubakar further revealed that the Commission was working assiduously for integration with the National Identity Management Commission’s database to enable it validate the identity of anyone applying to register a Company in order to eliminate incidences of submitting cloned copies of means of identification to the CAC.
The CAC Scribe however, reiterated his commitment to ensure continued synergy and collaboration with the CCB and other Anti Corruption bodies in a bid to strengthen the anti-money laundering and anti-corruption initiatives of the Present Administration.
Chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau, Professor Muhammad Isa who spoke earlier expressed satisfaction with the support and cooperation the CCB received from the Registrar General since his assumption of Office.
He stressed that the CAC and CCB has a lot to do in order to enhance the economic well being of the country.
The CCB Chairman added that in view of emerging trends in Company Law, there was need for more robust collaboration between the two agencies to unravel the identities of those perpetrating various economic crimes in the country.
On the mandate of the CCB which was established under Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution, Professor Isa said it was equally empowered under Part 1 of the 3rd Schedule to enforce Code of Conduct for Public Officers enshrined under Part 1 of the 5th Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic.
He emphasized that the CCB is empowered to enforce asset declaration as one of the 14 Code of Conduct for Public Officers adding that Conflict of Interest, Bribery, Abuse of Office, Double Remuneration, Operation of Foreign Accounts and Membership of Secret Society amongst others are under their purview.
He described Asset Declaration as the Life wire of corruption fight to all Anti-Corruption Agencies and charged Public Officers to declare their assets accordingly as the measure was also meant to protect their interest.
