El-Rufai Saga: Kaduna Assembly Yet To Report Findings To EFCC, ICPC
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has said that the Kaduna State House of Assembly has not furnish it with its findings pertaining to the report the N423 billion money laundering allegedly committed during the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Spokesperson of the Commission, Demola Bakare, told Sundaay Punch that the commission was also yet to receive any petition from the State Assembly over the outcome of its investigation.
In the words of Bakare; “They made that statement, but we have received not the report; but if they bring it, we know what to do. It is an intention. It is still an intention and they have not sent the report to us for investigation”.
Bakare said the ICPC would commence work into the matter once it receives the report of the State Assembly, saying that was what the Commission was established to do.
He also said; “If we receive a report, we don’t want to be criticised as killing the report; hence we’ll look into it, and if we are able to establish a prima facie case, we will bring it to a logical conclusion. But we have not received any report in this regard”.
It also gathered that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has also not received any petition from the Kaduna State Assembly concerning the money laundering allegations against El-Rufai.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly had in April set up a 13-man panel, headed by its Deputy Speaker, Hon Henry Danjuma, to probe the El-Rufai’s administration over allegations of wanton misappropriation of the state funds.
The committee was mandated to investigate all finances, loans and contracts awarded under the administration of El-Rufai.
The probe by the House of Assembly came weeks after the Governor Uba Sani, lamented that El-Rufai left him a huge debt burden of $587m, N85bn, and 115 contractual liabilities profile that was suffocating the state.
However, while presenting the report last week Wednesday at plenary, chairman of the Ad-hoc committee, Hon Danjuma said most of the loans obtained under the El-Rufai’s administration were not used for the purpose for which they were obtained, adding that in some cases, due process were not followed in securing the loans.
While receiving the report, the Speaker of the Kaduna House of Assembly, Hon Yusuf Liman, said that a total N423bn was siphoned by the El-Rufai’s administration while leaving the state with huge liabilities.
The report states in part; “The Governor of Kaduna State between 29th May, 2015 to 29th May, 2023 as the Chief Executive Officer of the state breached his Oath of Office contained in the 7th Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended and failed to exercise due discretion in the administration of the state, thereby indulged in: 1. Plunging the state into unwanted, unjustified and fraudulent domestic and foreign debts over and above the total Loans obtained by Kaduna State from 1965 to 1999 and the majority of which were obtained without due process”.
The Assembly after the adoption of the report, urged Governor Uba Sani to refer El-Rufai, his commissioner for Finance and other aides to the relevant security agencies for investigation.
The report revealed that the former Accountant General, Shizzer Nasada, and former commissioner for Finance in the state, Bashir Saidu, provided the details of how the $350m World Bank loan secured by the El-Rufai’s government was appropriated.
In the report, Nasada was quoted as having said; “That the $350m loan form part of the loans in the state. In 2015, N1bn was collected as loan from Zenith Bank, salaries paid accrued to N14.3bn and a loan was collected from the Excess Crude Account Facility.
“That there was no further approval from the State Assembly or National Assembly before the $350m loan facility that was given to Kaduna State Government in trenches because there was no revalidation of the approval and resolution from the ninth assembly.
“That, the total domestic loans in 2015 was N40bn and in 2023, another N20bn was collected and that the P4R Project was attached to the $350m collected in 2017.”
Similarly, Saidu, the former commissioner for Finance between 2019 and 2022, said; “That the $350m loan was approved by the Executive Council in 2017 and the draw down commenced in 2019. The proceeds were lodged in an account opened with Access Bank.
“One Maryam Dangaji was assigned as the Project Coordinator for P4R and was responsible for the accounts. The purpose of collecting the loan could have changed due to the delay in accessing same, hence, most of the things to be utilised by the loan have been executed,”Saidu was quoted as saying in the report.