PLEA-BARGAINING IN NIGERIA: WHEN CRIME PAYS

Abstract

It is notable that the plea-bargaining process was initially introduced into Nigeria as a panacea to economic andfinancial crimes cases and even though it is now made applicable to other crimes; economic and financial crimesremain its focus. Economic and financial crimes are illegal acts committed by an individual or a group ofindividuals to obtain a financial or professional advantage, the principal motive being economic gain. They arenon-violent crimes that cause financial loss to the victims and society. The history and typology of economiccrimes in Nigeria is political corruption and the related offences of money laundering by politically exposedpersons. However, decided cases reveal that plea-bargaining has failed to resolve economic crimes effectively,rather the process has provided soft landing for defendants, especially in political corruption cases, due to theextant legal and socio-political conditions in Nigeria.