Bayelsa State Government has asked an Abuja Federal High Court to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to immediately remit to it the N1.4bn, and another $1.3m recovered from a former governor of the state, Diepreye Alamieyesiegha. The suit was filed by one Mr. George Uboh, the Chief Executive of Panic Alert Security System, who said he was acting with the mandate of the Bayelsa State Government. Uboh said in line with the said mandate, he wrote to the EFCC requesting that the funds be remitted within seven days. He added that, in response to the letter, he met with officials of the EFCC on December 19, 2013, after which the commission assured that the remittance would be made within a short time. Uboh further explained that, following the EFCC’s failure to remit the funds as promised, the Bayelsa State Government had instructed that a suit be filed against the anti-graft agency in a bid to recover the money. In a writ of summons issued at the Abuja FHC against EFCC and its Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, the plaintiff alleged that the commission was trading with the seized funds. The plaintiff in the writ of summons asked the court to declare that the failure of the EFCC to remit the complete funds recovered from Alamieyesiegha and “subsequently trading with the funds by way of funds placement/fixed deposits is an act of corruption and an economic crime contrary to sections 6 and 7 of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004.” In the suit, the plaintiff’s counsel, Mr. Anthony Agbonlahor, also asked the court to order the EFCC to immediately remit the funds with the interest. The plaintiff asked the court to, “direct EFCC to pay to it $400,000.00 being the amount forfeited by its former governor and which funds had since been repatriated by the United States Government to the EFCC.” Bayelsa State Government also wants the court to order EFCC to pay 21 per cent interest on the N1.4bn and the $1.3m from November 1, 2013, until the final determination of the matter. The plaintiff equally asked the court to declare that the EFCC chairman should not have allowed the looted funds recovered from Alamieyesiegha to be traded with. Furthermore, the plaintiff asked the court to declare that Lamorde had violated his oath of office, and was therefore not qualified to continue in office as EFCC chairman. A hearing date is yet to be fixed for the case, which has been assigned to Court Six of the Abuja FHC. But the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has faulted newspaper reports suggesting that Bayelsa State government has dragged the anti-graft agency before an Abuja Federal High Court over ill-gotten money recovered from a former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in 2005, describing the the state government’s purported action as provocative and a cheap blackmail. But the Bayelsa State government has denied mandating anyone to file such suit on its behalf, asking the EFCC and the general public to disregard the media reports. EFCC’s reaction was contained in a statement entitled “Re: Alam’s Loot: Bayelsa Drags EFCC To Court” signed by its head, media and publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, and made available to us. The commission said the allegation by the state government will not stop its ongoing investigations of the state government and its officials. The state government’s denial was issued last week on the heels of EFCC’s reaction, by chief press secretary to Governor Seriake Dickon, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, who urged journalists to always clarify issues before going to press. Iworiso-Markson said, “The Bayelsa State government denies the reports and states categorically that it did not mandate any individual or firm to act on its behalf to request or institute any suit against the EFCC.” Newspaper reports last week said the state government had sued the EFCC, demanding that N1.4billion and another $1.3million that were recovered from Alamieyesiegha be remitted to its treasury. The state government was also said to have accused the EFCC of trading with the recovered funds by way of funds placement/fixed deposits, an act it said was corrupt and an economic crime contrary to sections 6 and 7 of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004. But in a swift reaction, the EFCC said it has not been served a copy of the purported court processes and, therefore, cannot comment on the matter. The EFCC statement reads in part: “The news reports about a matter said to have been filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, by one Mr George Uboh, ostensibly acting on the instruction of the Bayelsa State government, are provocative misinformation and very cheap blackmail, to say the very least.” “Let it be known that the sensational allegations, wild accusations and imputations contained in the scandalous reports strike at the very heart of EFCC’s values and rules of engagement and WILL NOT be allowed to go unanswered. Those pushing this deliberate misinformation for whatever ends should therefore prepare to substantiate them,” EFCC said. But Bayelsa spokesman, Iworiso-Markson has disowned Uboh, saying that the state government did not ask the lawyer to file any suit on its behalf. Iworiso-Markson added that, the state has no hand in the said suit filed against EFCC, saying that the attention of the state government was also drawn to the publication in some sections of the media quoting one George Uboh, chief executive of Panic Alert Security System, as purportedly acting behalf of the state government.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 06:24:19 +0000
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