The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has reacted to reports that the EFCC had indicted Senate President, Bukola Saraki and NGF consultant, Robert Mbonu saying there is no illegality in the disbursement of the Paris Club loan refund.
In a statement issued on Monday, Abdulrazque Barkindo, NGF spokesman, said there was no illegality in the transaction, TheCable reports.
Saraki, his aides and Robert Mbonu,
had been reportedly indicted for money laundering to the tune
N3.5billion. Mbonu, Saraki and others were alleged to have diverted a
part of the fund.
Barkindon said Mbonu’s
Melrose General Services Limited was duly hired as a consultant and that
it was paid an amount commensurate to its services.
“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,” he said.
“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.
“It
is not in the NGF’s purview to determine how Melrose or other
consultants disburse or utilise the consultancy fee paid to them. The
NGF should therefore not be dragged into how its suppliers, lawyers,
contractors and consultants spend their legitimate incomes and revenues.
“It
may interest the public to know that the NGF is still being inundated
with claims from many other consultants from all over the country who
had earlier been engaged and promised commission by the respective
states.
“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.”
Barkindo said it was not the business of the forum to investigate how money genuinely paid to its service providers was spent.
“The
NGF would like to once again place it on record that it played an
altruistic and patriotic role in ensuring that it aided, as directed,
approved and authorised by the presidency, federal ministry of finance,
office of the accountant general of the federation, debt management
office (DMO) and all other necessary agencies of government, the
disbursement of the funds to entities and individuals lawfully entitled
to it. All approvals, authorisation, terms of engagements and
disbursement were properly documented and are verifiable by anyone,
including the general public,” Barkindo added.
The
NGF also said the approval for the release of the second tranche of the
Paris Club refund by the president was indicative of his confidence in
the NGF for the manner it handled the disbursement of the first tranche
of the fund.
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