The federal government has resolved to trace the
whereabouts of the over N1.3trillion said to have
been recovered from treasury looters by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Also to be investigated is the whereabouts of the
N80billion and assets seized from corrupt public
officers by the Independent Corrupt Practices and
Other Related Offences and Commission (ICPC) and
Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT).
It has consequently raised three committees to find
the money.
The committees were constituted by the Attorney-
General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr.
Abubakar Malami (SAN), The Nation gathered
yesterday.
Specifically, the panels will find out what became of
the assets and cash recovered from the late Bayelsa
State Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, one
time Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun,
and pension thieves.
Well placed sources said the panels are expected to
reconcile the records of the EFCC, ICPC and the
Pension Task Force in arriving at their conclusions.
According to one of the sources, the presidency
opted for the committees to enable it have a “true
picture of the recovery records of the anti-graft
agencies.”
He said the government was concerned that “politics
is creeping into the whereabouts of the assets and
cash got from looters.”
“All the committees are multi-agencies, including the
Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Nigeria and
anybody managing remittances from these anti-graft
agencies.
“The committees will also consider court judgments,
assets seized abroad and cash and assets under
Temporary Assets Forfeiture Clause.
“The committees will interact with present and past
heads of anti-graft agencies and Pension Task Force.
The government is not after maligning anybody or
group but it is out to streamline records and present
the real situation to Nigerians.
“These are more or less purely fact-finding
committees to resolve all lingering issues on the
status of the recovery by these agencies.”
Responding to a question, the top source said: “For
instance, the Independent Corrupt Practices and
Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said it has
so far recovered over N80bn looted funds.
“The funds include N23b funds stashed in 40 banks
across the country by looters. ICPC has also received
over 4,497 petitions with 899 concluded, while 470 are
still pending in court.
“These committees will locate all these funds, how
much has been utilised and for what purposes. This
will require going through remittances into the
Federation Account.”
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation
(OAGF) confirmed the setting up of the committees
last night.
The International Police Organisation (INTERPOL)
recently issued a Red Alert on the former Chairman of
the Pension Reform Task Team, Mr. Abdulrasheed
Maina, giving the relevant security agencies to arrest
Maina in any part of the world.
The Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr.Wilson
Uwujaren, said Maina was wanted for his alleged role
in the fraudulent biometric contracts through which
he and former Head of Service, Steve Oronsaye and
two others allegedly mismanaged over N2billion of
pension funds.
Maina was on July 21, 2015 charged alongside
Oronsaye, Osarenkhoe Afe and Fredrick Hamilton
Global Services Limited before a Federal High Court
on a 24-count charge bordering on procurement fraud
and obtaining by false pretence.
While Oronsaye and two others were in court and
pleaded not guilty to the charge, Maina is nowhere to
be found.
However, on July 21 when the court heard the bail
applications of the accused persons, Maina through
his counsel, Esther Uzoma told the court that he was
not at large, claiming that the EFCC had never
invited him.
The setting up of the committees by the federal
government is coming on the heels of the Senate’s
declaration of the immediate past Chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),
Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde wanted over the whereabouts
of the N1 trillion which the agency recovered from
treasury looters
At its plenary session on Thursday, the Senate
directed its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and
Public Petitions to issue a warrant of arrest on
Lamorde to compel him to explain the whereabouts
of the money in EFCC’s custody.
One Dr. George Uboh had petitioned the Senate to
probe the matter.
Uboh, Chief Executive Officer of Panic Alert Security
Systems (PASS), had alleged that EFCC under
Lamorde short-changed the federal government in
the remittance of funds and properties recovered
from the late Alamieyeseigha and a former Inspector-
General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun.
The anti-graft agency, according to him “has
descended into the abyss of corruption and financial
crimes.”
He added: “EFCC operates accounts in banks to
warehouse recovered funds, which do not reflect in
EFCC’s audited accounts. EFCC doctors and
manipulates bank accounts to conceal diversion of
funds.
“EFCC releases recovered funds to unidentified
persons and EFCC officials. EFCC moves funds from
its recovery accounts to EFCC operations accounts
from where it diverts same.
“Over 95% of EFCC’s recoveries in foreign currencies,
other than those from multinational companies, have
been diverted.
“EFCC trades with recovered funds through bank
deposits and placements.
“EFCC colludes with real estate companies in order to
grossly undervalue seized assets before there are
sold to their cronies.
“EFCC has not accounted for offshore recoveries.
“Over half of the assets seized from suspects are not
reflected in EFCC exhibit records.”
Uboh claimed that the amounts of money recovered
by the EFCC from Alamieyeseigha and Tafa Balogun
were at different times falsified by officials of the
agency with a view to perpetrating fraud.
Lamorde, a senior police officer, is yet to be arrested.
He is currently attending the Senior Executive Course
38 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic
Studies at Kuru, near Jos.
When reporters approached him at the institution on
Friday to respond to the Senate’s decision to have
him arrested, the former EFCC boss said he would
have to get a clearance from his bosses at the Police
Headquarters to say anything on the issue.
However, his lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, had earlier
asked the Police authorities disregard the Senate
threat to arrest Lamorde.
He branded the Senate action as “legislative
rascality”, and said the police should “resist the
invitation to drag themselves into this illegal
scheme.”
Keyamo said he has already filed a suit at the Federal
High Court seeking an interpretation of the powers
of the Senate with respect to investigations.
He said the Red Chamber refused to defend itself in
court following which the Committee set up to probe
Lamorde was restrained from proceeding with its
assignment pending the determination of the
substantive suit.
He said: “whilst there is no restriction on the powers
of a court of law to issue a Warrant of Arrest against
anybody who fails to honour its summons, the
Senate’s own rules forbid it to do anything in respect
of matters that are pending in a court of law.
“The conducts of the Senate and the committee
amount to legislative rascality as they seek to usurp
the powers of the judiciary and to undermine its
authority. We most respectfully urge the Nigeria
Police Force to await the outcome of the matter
pending in court before deciding one way or the
other about the enforcement of the said Warrant of
Arrest, if eventually issued.”
The Nation.
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