In our review of high-profile corruption trials today, a former Governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, was accused of squandering N21 billion of state public funds in various contract scams, from Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board, Ministry for Local Government Affairs, Bauchi Specialist Hospital, to Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs).
Also, the suspended Director General of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr. Munir Gwarzo, was indicted of N115 million misappropriation of public funds.
Read on:
Isa Yuguda in N21 billion contract scam
This matter remains inconclusive since 2017 when a high-powered committee was set up to carry out forensic audit of all major contracts awarded by the past administration from June 2007 to May 2015 in the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board, Ministry for Local Government Affairs, Bauchi Specialist Hospital, Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
The committee asked former Governor Isa Yuguda to account for over N21 billion expended by his administration within the period under review.
Salihu Lukman Abubakar, lamented that the amount allegedly expended by the past administration in executing projects did not tally with the records of amount that accrued to the state from June 2007 to May 2015 from the federation accounts as contained in documents obtained from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
He said from the local governments’ contributions to the office of the Accountant General in respect of Joint Projects, former Governor Isa Yuguda, former Commissioners for Local Government Affairs, former Special Advisers, former Permanent Secretaries and former Accountants General or their representatives as signatories to the JAAC accounts were to account for N16 billion.
On several unjustified cash withdrawals made from the accounts of the Ministry for Local Government Affairs by Mohammed Musa, Cashier to JAAC Account, the Committee recommended that former Commissioners in the Ministry for Local Government Affairs, Idris Halilu and Abubakar Ahmed Faggo, retired Permanent Secretaries, Ado Santurakin Pali and Hudu Yunusa Ari, Special Advisers, in the Ministry for Local Government Affairs, former Accountants General and their representatives who were co-signatories to the JAAC accounts were to account for N3.5 billion.
Within the period under review, the Committee discovered huge payments made in the Ministry for Local Government Affairs without appropriate payments vouchers presented to the Committee and consequently recommended that all former Commissioners to account for N96billion, while Special Advisers, Permanent Secretaries, Internal Auditors, Cahiers, Directors of Finance in the Ministry and visiting Auditors to the Ministry be made to account for N8 billion.
In the Ministry of Health, the Committee similarly recommended N1.55 billion to be recovered from Current Mechanical Eng., Accrom Services, Sahnazal International, Eagle Construction, Louizoni Ferreti Enterprises, and Yima Nigeria Limited for contracts in respect of construction of Bauchi Specialist Hospital, supply, delivery and installation of hospital equipment at the new Bauchi Specialist Hospital.
Under Security Vote expenditure in the office of Secretary to the Government of Bauchi State within the period under review, the Committee recommended N4 billion be recovered from former Governor Isa Yuguda while N22 million was to be recovered from Bahijja Mahmoud and Aisha Mahmoud for construction through direct labour of Bauchi Skills Acquisition Centre under the Agency for Orphans.
Munir Gwazo quizzed for N115 million misappropriation of public funds
On April 17, 2019, a Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, discharged and acquitted the suspended Director General of the Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, Mr. Mourni Gwarzo.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, the five count charges filed against the SEC boss and Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services of SEC, Zakawaru Garba by the Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission [ICPC] were dismissed.
The duo were accused of misappropriating public funds to the tune of about N115 million in the charge marked CR/185/18. ICPC told the court that the defendants committed the offence in June 2015.
Gwarzo allegedly pocketed N104.8 million as severance benefit and received a car grant worth over N10 million contrary to Section 19 of the ICPC act, 2000.
The second defendant was alleged to be involved in the fraud by conferring a corrupt advantage on another public officer by approving the payments made to the suspended SEC boss. However, the court upheld the no case submission filed by the two defendants.
Justice Baba-Yusuf said he was satisfied that the totality of the proof of evidence was not enough to establish a prima facie case against the defendants and there was no need for them to enter into defence.
Meanwhile, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said it would soon appeal the ruling on the ‘no case submission’ in the trial.
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[This Publication is based on a compendium by Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) covering corruption cases as at 22nd of November, 2019.
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