Wednesday, August 26, 2015

N1tn allegation: Senate committee walks out EFCC, Lamorde’s lawyers

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, on Wednesday, walked out the representatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, led by the Director of Legal Services of the anti – graft agency, Mr. Chile Okoroma.



The committee took the decision at its first sitting of probe into the allegation of alleged diversion of N1tn corruption funds levelled against the Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, on Wednesday when members listened to the oral submission of the petitioner, Dr . George Uboh.

Okoroma had in company with six other lawyers including the personal lawyer of the Chairman of the commission, Mr.Osuagwu Ugochukwu, had breezed into the venue of the meeting, about one hour into the commencement of the sitting

The EFCC lawyer had expressed reservations over the decision of the committee to listen to the petitioner without the representatives of the commission on seat.

But the Chairman of the senate committee, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, read a letter from the EFCC, seeking the permission of the upper chamber to appear at a later date when the comprehensive annual audit report, would have been received from KPMG, an audit firm.

Anyanwu said the committee would not attend to any submission from Okoroma and his team because they were not being expected since the commission had already sought permission.

Earlier in his oral submission based on the documents before the committee, the petitioner had alleged that Former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, during an interaction, told him that the amount declared by the EFCC was a far cry from what was seized from him.

He also explained to the committee, how the incumbent Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, was allegedly intimidated by the Lamorde’s EFCC to stop a legal process initiated to recover the shortfall of Alamieyeseigha’s money back to the Bayelsa State treasury.

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