An anti-corruption coalition, the Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), has commended the Federal Government for re-opening the botched investigation into the Halliburton scandal, stating that the decision has raised the standard of the government’s anti-graft war.

In a statement signed by its chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, CSNAC urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) for betraying the country through the collection of “professional fees” paid to them by Halliburton.

Condemning what it called the shoddy handling of the Halliburton case by previous lawyers engaged by the Federal Government, the coalition alleged that the engagement of one of the lawyers for the Halliburton case was illegal since his professional incompetence has been ruled upon by a court of competent jurisdiction.

According to the CSNAC, the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos and presided over by Justice Clement Archibong, had while dismissing the case the government brought against Mr. Erastus Akingbola, former Managing Director of the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc with money laundering in the sum of N10 billion, accused the prosecutors, led by Mr. Joseph Daudu SAN, of professional incompetence in the negligent manner in which they had handled the case. The judge therefore, in the ruling, prohibited the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke SAN, from ever engaging the four lawyers to prosecute any other case for the Federal Government.

•Photo shows Justice Minister Abubakar Malami, SAN.