Abuja — The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) yesterday in Abuja said that investigation into the $180m Halliburton bribe scandal has been swept under the carpet.

Speaking at the 5th Business Law conference organised by the Section on Business Law of the NBA, the association chairman, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, said that it was a shame, one year after a panel was constituted to investigate the scam, no report had been submitted and no prosecution had taken place.

He said, "Last year about the time of this conference, the Halliburton scandal broke open and at that time the NBA remarked that it was one scandal too many and it should not be swept under the carpet.

"All other countries that are in one way or another connected with the scandal have put machinery in place to bring the culprits to justice, but in Nigeria as is the case often, a few attempts at playing to the gallery were made and thereafter the matter has effectively been swept under the carpet.

"This attitude has come to characterize our insincerity to deal with the issue of corruption which stands firmly between us and development." He said that the way and manner the Halliburton scandal was handled showed that the country was not sincere in the fight against corruption. Akeredolu said that there was nothing wrong with the constitution but that those who operated it, had refused to be decent.

He said that the association would not shy away from speaking the truth to those in power. He noted that the disgrace which Nigeria was subjected to before Dr. Goodluck Jonathan became the Acting President would have been avoided if only President Umaru Yar'Adua had followed a path of honour by writing to the leadership of the National Assembly.

He said, "If honour attended every action following our President's illness we would have been spared the show of shame and object ofridicule that we have become."