$3 million of the controversial
London-Paris Club loan refund has been traced to a governor.
The cash is believed to be part of the
N19billion illegally deducted from the refund by the Nigeria Governors Forum
(NGF), according to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sources.
The cash has been found in the account
of a member of the House of Representatives who got it through a proxy, the
lawmaker’s brother. Both were not available for comments.
The $3million is
being spent on building a 100-room hotel in Lagos, which the governor may
forfeit to the Federal Government.Also, the EFCC has placed a restriction on
N8billion and $80million in the naira and dollar accounts of the NGF.
The
Presidency has released N1. 266.44trillion to the 36 states in the past one
year. The cash includes N713.70billion special intervention funds to states.
Following
protests by states against over deduction for external debt service between
1995 and 2002, President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the release of N522.74
billion (first tranche) to states as refund pending reconciliation of records.
Each
state was entitled to a cap of N14.5 billion being 25% of the amounts claimed.
Finance
Minister Mrs. Kemi Adeosun said the payment would enable states to offset
outstanding salaries and pension which had been “causing considerable
hardship”.
The
governors sought for the refund to states and local governments at a meeting
with President Buhari on May 24, last year.
A
source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said: “The EFCC is
still investigating the N19billion allegedly diverted from the loan refund. The
commission has so far interrogated 15 companies, more than 10 individuals and
over eight bureaux de change used to divert the cash.
“The
latest bend of the investigation is the discovery of $3million linked with
another governor who benefited from the illegal deduction. The governor had
engaged a member of the House of Representatives (who was also a former
commissioner) to launder his share.
”The
lawmaker was said to have wired the $3million into his brother’s account before
moving it into his own.
“Upon
interrogation, one of the suspects admitted that the cash was for the ongoing
construction of a 100-room hotel for the governor.
“About
$500,000 of the $3million has been recovered by the EFCC. It is a scam in which
many people benefited and a sizeable number of proxies used to launder the
funds,” the source said.
The
$3million was transferred to the lawmaker for the governor from the $86million
in the NGF’s domiciliary account.
“We
will do our best to recover the already diverted part of the $3million. We may
also apply for the forfeiture of the hotel to the Federal Government,” the
source said, pleading not to be named so as not to jeopardise the
investigation.
The
$86million is said to be for the payment of consultants who worked for the
refund for the 35 states. But none of the consultants has been paid. Some of
them have already gone to court.
The
source added: “The EFCC has placed a Post No Debit restriction on the NGF’s
account with N8billion and domiciliary account with $80million.
“Out
of the $86million, $3million was wired to the governor through a proxy and
another $2million shared out.
“The
EFCC is ready to lift the restriction on the two accounts of the NGF on a
condition that the consultants and legal advisers who deserve to be paid will
be given what they are entitled to in line with the agreement signed with the
NGF.
“We
want the NGF to involve the EFCC in the disbursement to avoid another diversion
of the cash. As it is now, consultants and legal advisers are complaining that
they are being shortchanged by the governors.”
The
EFCC had earlier traced about N500million, which was meant for a consultant, to
the account of a governor.
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