Alleged N1tn Diversion: EFCC Calls Report Infantile, Senseless

 Ibrahim Lamorde

• PDP senate caucus asks committee to halt probe of Lamorde

Omololu Ogunmade and Yemi Akinsuyi in Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has debunked media reports accusing its leadership of not remitting the sum of N1 trillion into the federal government account, saying it is infantile and an assault on the sensibilities of all reasonable stakeholders in the anti-corruption fight.

This came as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the Senate monday demanded the immediate stoppage of the probe of the Chairman, of the commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, saying carrying out such act this time would be ill-conceived.

A statement signed by the commission’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said even if the EFCC had not returned a kobo of recovered assets in its 12 years of existence in addition to the yearly appropriated funds from the Federation Account, it would be nowhere near a trillion naira. 

The statement read: “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), has been drawn to a report captioned, Alleged N1trillion diversion: Senate to probe Lamorde’s alleged diversion of N1trillion, which appeared in a national newspapers monday containing salacious claims of corruption against the person of the chairman of the commission, Ibrahim Lamorde.

“The EFCC should ordinarily not dignify the publication with a response as the motives of the promoters and their media allies are to impugn the integrity of the EFCC boss with fabricated stories of corruption.

“However the commission is constrained to respond, to expose the motive behind the sinister plot. In the first instance, claims of a N1trillion corruption in the EFCC is infantile and assaults the sensibilities of all reasonable stakeholders in the anti- corruption fight.

“Even if the EFCC had not returned a kobo of recovered assets in its 12 years existence in addition to the yearly appropriated funds from the federation account, it will be nowhere near a trillion naira. This clearly exposes the mission of the so-called petitioner as nothing more than mischief, designed to smear Lamorde.

“More sinister is the discovery that the so called petition did not follow the procedure for consideration by the senate. It was sent, not to the senate but to a member, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, a first term senator from Delta North.

“Under the senate rules, petitions meant for consideration by the red chamber are sent to the senate, not to a member of the senate.

Also, petitions meant for the senate are tabled at the plenary, before they are referred to the relevant committees for further consideration. In this instance, the senate has been on recess and there is no evidence that the so called petition was considered at plenary and referred to any committee.”
The EFCC as an agency that is founded on transparency is not afraid of any “probe” or request for information regarding its activities by individuals, groups or organs of government; so far as such requests followed due process of law. 

He said the EFCC under Lamorde did not need the prompting of anyone, when it commissioned a reputable international audit firm, KPMG to carry out comprehensive audit of exhibits and forfeited assets of the commission from 2003 to date, noting that the report of the audit will be made public once it is ready.

“Were the commission to be jittery about its records, it would not have embarked on such audit.”

The EFCC however warned that those who peddle false information with the intent to mislead should be reminded that there is a subsisting law on false information and the consequence for violation is grave.

Meanwhile, the PDP caucus, according to a statement made available to THISDAY last night, said any move that could generate rift between the executive and the legislature this sensitive period should be jettisoned.

It added that while it supported the war against graft, it must never be selective.  The statement was signed by Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio; Minority Whip, Senator Philip Aduda; Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha and Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Abiodun Olujimi.

The statement read: “It has come to the notice of the PDP leadership in the Senate that the Senate Committee on Public Petitions would begin a public hearing wednesday and the committee has invited the Chairman of the EFCC to appear before it.

“The PDP leadership in the Senate is not against any committee of the Senate performing its oversight duties and or functions but we feel that this is not the appropriate time to embark on this most important assignment particularly since this same action was mooted and had failed in the previous plenary session. We therefore urge the committee to suspend its public hearing on this particular matter until further notice.

“The PDP Senate leadership reassures the Nigerian public of its support for the war against corruption by the federal government of Nigeria but hastens to add that such fight against corruption should be total and not selective.

“Nigerians need peace at this period of economic challenges precipitated by the falling oil prices and actions that will overheat the polity and generate unnecessary friction between the executive and the legislature should be avoided.”