US sex scandal: Dogara says suspects innocent until proven guilty
The Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara PHOTO: TWITTER/DOGARA
House pledges thorough probe
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, says the three members of the House accused of sexual misconduct in the United States of America (USA), remain innocent until proven guilty.
In a statement issued by his spokesman Turaki Hassan, the Speaker expressed the view while responding to questions on the allegations on his Twitter handle, even as he urged Nigerians to refrain from passing judgment and wait for the outcome of investigation by the parliament.
“Judgment can only be passed when an allegation is proven,” the Speaker argued, stressing, as ambassadors of the House and indeed, the entire country, the members in the middle of the scandal would have known not to bring dishonour to the institution they represent.
Dogara vowed that the House would conduct an investigation into the allegations, assuring that “together with the US Embassy in Nigeria, we will get to the bottom of this matter.”
The Speaker further explained that apart from the letter, no evidence had been forwarded to his office, and that there can be no conviction without trial.
He also indicated that the lawmakers have said they are prepared to defend themselves at their own cost.
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3 Comments
Can Dogara inform their master too, that the accused in Nigeria are innocent until found guilty by properly constituted courts.
Point of correction Mr Dogara, these people are not Ambassadors of the Nigerian people in the commission of illegal acts. We are being inflicted with all manners of punishment in the name of governance and some overfeeding legislators are busy squandering our paternity overseas. Please respect the citizens, many of whom are more intelligent than all of you.
Wow wow wow, Eureka!!! so our leaders in Parliament who have kept mum since President Buhari started to openly condemn people on trial and mere suspicions, denied release of those granted bail by legitimate courts of the land, knew all along that any accused person is innocent until proven guilty!!! So why didn’t they speak up for the many non-legislator Nigerians languishing in jails around the country for weeks, months and even years without trial or conviction? Well, this is a lesson for America to learn, a lesson Britain and the EU countries learned long ago, if you wish to administer justice to a Nigerian politician, do it in your own country where the offence was committed in accordance with your own laws; sending the Nigerian politician back to Nigeria for justice to prevail is as good as setting him free with a pat on his shoulder for being a great Ambassador of Nigeria. If in doubt, ask Ibori and his colleague former state governors.
We will review and take appropriate action.