N10BILLION SCANDAL: GROUP DEMANDS PROBE OF ADEOSUN, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, OTHERS
N10BILLION
SCANDAL: GROUP DEMANDS PROBE OF ADEOSUN, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, OTHERS
Minister of
Finance, Kemi Adeosun
A non-governmental organisation has demanded
investigation into the alleged N10 billion scandal involving the National
Assembly, Minister of Finance, and the Accountant General of the Federation.
Human and
Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre made this demand in a
petition signed by its chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, to the acting chairman of
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
REPORTERS
had exclusively reported how the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, released
the sum to the National Assembly outside its N125 billion budget, and how the
lawmakers spent it on exotic cars and other items.
Taking its
cue from the report, HEDA stressed the need for the anti-graft commission to
investigate the alleged fraud.
According
to the organisation in a statement on Sunday, “if these allegations are found
true, then it will be clear that the National Assembly has no sympathy for the
suffering masses and it will be clear that corruption has become firmly rooted
in the country.”
The
statement reads: “In line with the aforementioned subject, HEDA is really
concerned that despite the cash crunch and public outcry, the recent release of
whopping N10 billion, not appropriated or approved by the National Assembly, to
leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives by the Minister of
Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, in a surreptitious manner smacks of corruption,
conspiracy, abuse of office and misuse of public fund.
“This was
the outcome of an investigative probe of an online newspaper.
In a
further investigation and commendable findings of the online Newspaper, Premium
Times, the National Assembly (Senate President, Speaker and Management of
National Assembly) allegedly paid a total of N6.6 billion for the purchase of
exotic cars, contrary to the monetisation policy of the Federal Government.
“According
to the report and documents published on April 23, 2018, by PREMIUM TIMES and
UDEME, it was revealed that Nigeria’s Senate and House of Representatives
likely used the claim to purchase of exotic cars as a decoy for money
laundering, corruption, stealing, forgery and illegality.
“Official
documents obtained by the newspaper showed that the purchases were made by the
three arms of the federal parliament—the Senate, the House of Representatives
and the management unit of the lawmaking arm.
“The Senate spent N3.2billion on these cars. The lower chamber followed
closely, acquiring N3billion worth of exotic cars in 17 deals. The management
of the National Assembly wrapped up the car procurement extravaganza, taking
delivery of N430 million worth of cars using five different dealers.”
HEDA noted
further that, “The newspaper alleges the payments for the cars were made from
the questionable extra- budgetary N10 billion discreetly and curiously released
to the National Assembly by the Ministry of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, under the
guise of helping the law making arm to settle its outstanding liabilities.
“As the
public suspected, two reliable sources in the National Assembly have described
payments for the cars as a charade, saying they were made as part of
arrangements to funnel bribes to some top officials of the National Assembly.
“Multiple
checks by REPORTERS however revealed that 44 of the companies were not
qualified, in strong support of the suspicion of fund tripping, money
laundering and fraud, companies to which the contracts were awarded and paid
are not on the database of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) which makes
them ineligible for federal jobs. Surprisingly, 17 of these 44 companies are
not even registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) meaning they
are unknown to the system and laws of the country.
“To be
eligible for contracts award from Nigerian government, prospective bidders are
usually requested to provide evidence of registration on the database of
Federal Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers by submitting Interim
Registration Report or valid certificate issued by the BPP.
“According
to the newspaper, on December 11, 2014, the then Secretary to the Government of
the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, wrote to ministries, departments and agencies
informing them of a presidential directive “that any federal contractor,
consultant or service provider that is not registered with the National
Database of Federal Contractors, Consultants and service providers domiciled at
the Bureau of Public Procurement will no longer be allowed to do business with
the government.”
“The
circular, which was also sent to the clerk of the National Assembly, added,
‘This is to facilitate the maintenance of a National Database of the
particulars, classification and categorization of Federal Contractors,
consultants and service providers as required by the provision section 5(h) and
6(1) (f) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.’
“But
multiple checks by the Newspaper between April 15 and 23, 2018, show that of
the companies the National Assembly awarded contracts to, 44 of them are not on
the database of BPP, in what is a clear violation of the procurement law.
“Companies
reported not to be on the BPP database include: Mushin Motors, Assamad
Procurement and Services Limited, Kaffe International Investment Limited,
Quantita Services Nigeria Limited, Dua Creations Limited, Lachoso Engineering
Systems Nigeria Limited, Navadee Integrated Nigeria Limited, Starcraft
Integrated Limited, Wadatu Global Company Limited, Bimfirst Multiventures
Limited, Pimpex Engineering and Construction Company Limited, Three Brothers
Concept Nigeria Limited, Braimuh Nigeria Limited, Unified Marketing Limited, H
and H Inter-Biz Services, Nsa-Nsa Communication and O.B. Global Intertech
Limited.
Others are, “A.A. Marmaro Nigeria Limited, Nwezei Merchandised Limited, Jaaniyat
Inter Concept Limited, Popona Star Nigeria Limited, Yujam Nigeria Limited, D.C.
Okika Nigeria, Paki International Motors Limited, Afric Capital Nigeria
Limited, Liberty Synergy and General enterprises, Pranav Contracting Nigeria
Limited, Dee Ex Associate Limited, Shazamzam Construction Limited, Omatie
Global, Bilmos Nigeria Limited, Clario View Nigeria Limited, Esyad Nigeria
Limited, Omaiauto Limited and Profile Project Nigeria Limited. Chancellors
Court Limited, M/S Atlantic Authos Limited, Bestline Nigeria Limited,
Geoafriqcom Sourcing and Services Limited, DCN Nigeria Limited, Emerging Giant,
GSES Nigeria Limited, Saramin International Ventures Limited.
“Apart
from not being on the BPP database, 17 of these companies are not registered
with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Established in 1990, the CAC
regulates the formation and management of companies administering the Company
Allied Matters Act, including the regulation and supervision of the formation,
incorporation, management and winding up of companies.
“Companies
not on BPP database and not registered with the CAC are: Mushin Motors, Dua
Creations, Starcraft Integrated Limited, Wadatu Global Company Limited, Pimpex
Engineering and Construction Company Limited, H and H Inter-Biz Services, Nwezei
Merchandised Limited, Jaaniyat Inter Concept Limited, and Bilmos Nigeria
Limited, Clario View Nigeria Limited, Esyad Nigeria Limited, Omaiauto Limited,
Chancellors Court Limited, M/S Atlantic Authos Limited, Geoafriqcom Sourcing
and Services Limited and GSES Nigeria Limited.
“By
allowing unqualified firms to get government jobs, the leadership of the
National Assembly (the Senate President, Speaker of the House, Clerk of the
National Assembly and other officials) appears to have violated sections of the
Public Procurement Act 2004, especially for colluding with the unqualified
firms to defraud government.
“According
to the BPP Act, ‘Collusion shall be presumed from a set of acts from which it
can be assumed that there was an understanding, implicit, formal or informal,
overt or covert under which each person involved reasonably expected that the
other would adopt a particular course of action which would interfere with the
faithful and proper application of the provisions of this Act,’ Section 9 of the
Act said.
“If found
guilty, the officials are liable to ‘a cumulative punishment of: (a) a term of
imprisonment of not less than five calendar years without any option of fine;
and (b) summary dismissal from government services.’
“The
affected companies, on conviction, will also be liable to ‘a cumulative penalty
of: (a) debarment from all public procurements for a period not less than five
calendar years; and (b) a fine equivalent to 25 per cent of the value of the
procurement in issue.’
“Every
director of the companies as listed on their records at the Corporate Affairs
Commission shall also be liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not
less than three calendar years but not exceeding five calendar years without an
option of fine, the law said.
“In the
light of the above reported facts, it is clear that corruption has become
firmly rooted in this Country called Nigeria and if these allegations are found
true, then it will be clear that the National Assembly has no sympathy for the
suffering masses not even for the youths of this country.
“On this
account we are calling on your office to investigate the following: The
allocation and appropriation of the alleged fund (N10 billion); The
appropriateness of the funding; The utilization of N6.6 billion on exotic
vehicles through unregistered companies; Procurement certification for this
contracts; The role of the Finance Minister; Eligibility of the companies for
contract based on BPP accreditation and CAC registration; and The payment of
contractors and their delivery of the purported vehicles,” the anti-graft
crusaders said.
