EFCC Goes After Three More Governors Over Paris Club Refund

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has hinted its intention to go after three more governors over Paris Club refund which it believed was looted by the said governors.

According to EFCC, the affected governors and their cronies are under investigation and will soon be exposed, according to The Nation .

Meanwhile, governors have been pushing for the release of the third tranche of the refund as another slush account uncovered by the anti-graft agency.

President Muhammadu Buhari is said to be contemplating the request as most states are yet to give reasonable account of wither the first two tranches.

Recently, the federal government told the Federal High Court in Lagos that the record of spending of N388.304billion London Paris Club Loan refunds by 35 states released to the to pay overdue pensioners’ entitlements and workers’ salaries “is protected by professional privilege, and therefore confidential.”

The Federal Government through the Accountant General of the Federation Alh. Ahmed Idris was responding to the suit number FCH/CS/523/17 filed by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

SERAP sought “an order of mandamus directing and/or compelling the government to publish details of spending of N388.304billion London Paris Club Loan refunds allegedly diverted and mismanaged by 35 States.”

The Federal Government’s response filed last Friday followed the ruling in June by Justice Muslim Hassan that SERAP could proceed with the legal challenge to unravel how exactly 35 states spent Paris Club loan refunds.

Justice Hassan had while granting leave stressed that it was important for the authorities “to come and tell us how they spent our money.”

However, in its defence the Federal Government argued:

“The relationship between the Accountant General and the 35 states is professional and confidential. 

“It is a fiduciary one akin to that between a bank and its customer and allied professionals. 

“On that score, record of the spending of N388.304billion London Paris Club Loan refunds by the 35 states is exempted from publication, assuming the Federal Government has the information sought by SERAP.”

The federal government also argued that, “the Accountant General does not have custody or possession of the information or record relating to the spending of N388.304billion London Paris Club Loan refunds by 35 states which the government gave them.

“The Accountant General did not release the funds to the states. 

“At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the Accountant General argues that assuming we have the information sought, the government is not obliged to comply with the request.”

The government stated that “states have exclusive control over their revenue and expenditure and the Accountant General of the Federation cannot demand obligatorily from any tier of government including the 35 states information how they have spent the Paris Club refunds.”

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