Again, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, said, yesterday, that there was no illegality in the disbursement of the Paris Club loan refund. The refund was a result of over-deductions from the statutory allocations of the states for debt-servicing from 1995 to 2002.
The NGF reaction came against the backdrop of reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had indicted Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki, his aides, and Robert Mbonu, a consultant the NGF hired, for money laundering to the tune N3.5 billion. But in a statement, yesterday, Abdulrazaque Barkindo, NGF spokesman, said there was no illegality in the transaction. He said Mbonu’s Melrose General Services Limited was duly hired as a consultant and that it was paid an amount commensurate to its services. He also said it was not the business of the forum to investigate how money genuinely paid to its service providers was spent.
The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to publications in the media which are believed to have emanated from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, about a purported report the anti-graft agency submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari on March 10, 2016. “The report is said to have indicted the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, and imputed illegal dealings in the disbursement of the Paris Club refund payment to states of the federation as handled by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF.
“While the NGF will not want to repeatedly join issues with the EFCC on the disbursement of the first tranche of the Paris Club refund, particularly after its officials have been interrogated by the anti-corruption agency and we provided all necessary and required details and documents regarding disbursement to states, including harmonising the number of consultants and payment made to them, we are constrained to once again state the following for the benefit of members of the public: “It is true that Melrose General Services Limited was one of the consultants that was duly engaged and documented to facilitate the disbursement of the Paris Club refund.
The consultant was also paid an amount commensurate to the services it provided, among other numerous consultants that were involved in the process. “The NGF maintains its earlier position that it has done nothing illegal as far as the disbursement of the Paris Club refund to states and the consultants are concerned. The Forum has all necessary approvals to act in the manner it did. “Therefore, the misinformation in the media about the disbursement and insinuations being made concerning some governors that are being mentioned is outright mischief.”
Meanwhile, Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, has described the alleged diversion of N19 billion from release of the first tranche of London-Paris Club refund by Nigeria’s Governors Forum, NGF, as the height of impunity. Falana said in a statement issued in Lagos last night: ‘’In spite of the official pressure and blackmail mounted by a clique of power mongers on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, it is commendable that the anti graft agency was able to conduct a detailed investigation into the looting of the N522 billion London/Paris loan refund paid to the 36 states and 774 local governments in the country.
“The alleged criminal diversion of the sum of N19 billion out of the loan refund through the account of the Nigeria Governors Forum is the height of impunity as there is no statutory nexus between the friendly club of state governors and the Federation Account. Happily, the accounts warehousing the said sum of N19 billion in some banks have since been frozen by the EFCC. “Once again, out of the stolen fund, the sum of N3.5 billion is alleged to have been traced to the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his close associates. In a dodgy and watery defence of his alleged involvement in a malfeasance that is akin to a crime against humanity, Dr. Saraki has described his indictment as ‘mudslinging’ by the EFCC.
“However, since the investigation of the monumental fraud had been concluded before the recent rejection of Mr. Magu as EFCC chairman by the Senate, the resort to vulgar abuse by the Senate president is diversionary and escapist. “In any case, whether it is mudslinging or not, Dr. Saraki has not denied the fact that the N3.5 billion traced to him forms part of the N19 billion located in 15 frozen bank accounts.”
Source: VANGUARD
