N1trn assets forfeiture:
By Joshua Egbodo
Abuja
The House of Representatives has mandated its committee on Financial Crimes to investigate the alleged non-remittance of about N1 trillion court ordered forfeited, properties and funds by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Also, in a resolution yesterday, the House directed that the Solicitor-General of the Federal Ministry of Justice, to re-assign the investigation to either the ICPC or the Police, following the earlier petition by Mr George Uboh against the Commission.
This followed the unanimous adoption of a motion, moved under matters of urgent public importance by the House’s Minority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor, seeking urgent investigation into the alleged non-remittances.
He lawmaker also recalled that there was a subsisting petition by George Uboh against both the present and past leaders of the EFCC over alleged diversion of funds, currently being investigated by the Senate.
“The past and present leadership of the EFCC is being accused of diversion of funds worth billions of naira meant to be paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation as stipulated by Section 31 (2 and 3) of the EFCC Act of 2004.”
He argued that the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Justice, has directed the EFCC to investigate the allegation against the EFCC chair, Ibrahim Lamorde and to forward the result of its investigation to him, but that “the EFCC is not the only agency of government charged with investigations that bother on diversion of funds by public officers.”
Ogor further submitted: “To thoroughly investigate the allegation of diversion of this huge sum of monies, alleged trillion of naira, other members of staff of the EFCC must be investigated. By the powers conferred on the House by Section 88(I) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the House,
just like the police and the ICPC can investigate the diversion of funds by Lamorde, past and present leaders of the EFCC.”
The Ministry of Justice, had, in a letter to the EFCC, signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Ministry, Mr. Muhammad Diri, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary and dated October 8, 2015, directed the EFCC to investigate the allegation against Lamorde, and to forward the report of investigation to him “as soon as it is completed.”
