For the second time in less than 48 hours, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday raided some offices in the House of Representatives in search of more documents relating to the alleged misuse of N9bn by the leadership of the House.
The raid coincided with a disclosure by a top government source that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other- Related Offences Commission had also set up a special unit to probe the allegation.
A faction in the House, the Progressive- Minded Legislators and a coalition of civil society groups, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project had separately sent petitions to the ICPC seeking a probe of how the money voted for capital projects for the House was disbursed.
The Chairman of the EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri had upon receipt of a copy of the petition on Monday told the PML members led by Mr. Dino Melaye that a special team had already started looking into the matter.
But as members of the House engaged in free-for-all during their Tuesday plenary, some EFCC operatives raided the office of the Clerk of the House and took away some documents.
A source at the National Assembly told our correspondent that “five EFCC operatives came again to the House on today (Thursday) and ransacked some offices for documents on some purchases made by the House.”
When contacted, the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Babafemi, said he was not aware that the commission’s operatives visited the National Assembly, on Thursday.
“It is an ongoing investigation. But, I’m not aware that our men visited the place on Thursday,” he said.
Another source , who is close to the EFCC and ICPC, claimed that the investigations might end in the next two weeks.
He hinted that all those that played a role in the alleged misuse of the N9bn, including the Speaker of the House, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, would be summoned by the ICPC anytime from Friday (today).
The source, who declined to be named, also said that it was not unlikely that Bankole might be forced to resign even before the conclusion of the probes by the two anti-graft agencies.
He added that Melaye and the other PML members might also be invited to substantiate their allegations against the House leadership.
According to him , it is not also unlikely that the anti-graft bodies may start to summon suspects in the matter on Friday (today).
He said, “This (probe) is a special case. The swiftness of the EFCC to solve the riddle of N9bn capital vote mismanagement is enough to tell the people that there will be no sacred cow in the anti-graft crusade.
“I can assure you that the investigation will be concluded in another two weeks. From what we have heard so far, the matter might consume the leadership of the House.
“They have been claiming that the documents being circulated by the aggrieved lawmakers are fake, but the cheques issued for the payment of the items in question have revealed otherwise.
“It is a question of time, the Speaker might be forced to resign on the weight of the allegations. At least, he would be asked to step aside in order not to tamper with the investigations. That may be his final exit as the number-four person in the country.”
The rancorous session in the House on Tuesday led to the indefinite suspension of Melaye and 10 other lawmakers.
Our correspondent also learnt on Thursday that the PML members submitted another petition to the ICPC on Wednesday, asking for the investigation of their allegations.
SERAP was also said to have simultaneously submitted another petition to the ICPC on the same matter.
The group said in the petition by its Executive Director, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, that a decisive action by the anti-graft agency was capable of restoring transparency and accountability to the National Assembly.
SERAP stated that it was “seriously concerned” that the allegations constituted grave breach of the corrupt practices and other related Act 2000, the public procurement Act 2007, and the United Nations Convention against corruption.
It said, “The ICPC should equally ensure that it concludes investigations into previous allegations against the speaker, most especially an allegation that some members of his family are beneficiaries of contracts on National Rural Electrification project.
“We are further concerned that allegations of corruption by lawmakers would undermine the credibility of the legislative process.
“It will impede the ability of the House to effectively play its constitutional role or to provide the necessary leadership in the anti corruption fight.
“The allegations also amount to a grave breach of constitutional provisions and would undermine the constitutional role of the House of Representatives to make law for the good and development of the country.
“The ICPC should make public the outcome of its investigations. The commission should also ensure the recovery of any money that is the subject of corruption and ensure that those suspected to be responsible are brought to justice.”
Specifically, it wants the ICPC to investigate whether the purchase of four Range Rover Sport Utility Vehicles; three Mercedes Benz S-600 cars allegedly for N335m for the Office of the Speaker and his deputy followed due process.
They also want the commission to look into another allegation that the House leadership purchased a unit of LCD 40- inch Samsung television sets for N525,000, instead of the market price of N180,000.
When contacted, the ICPC Resident Consultant, Media and Events, Mr. Folu Olamiti, confirmed that the PML and SERAP submitted separate petitions to the commission on Wednesday.
He said, “We received the petitions on Wednesday. I can assure you that we will investigate them. The chairman has already directed the setting up of a special unit to investigate the matter because of its sensitive nature.
“We will do the job effectively and I can assure you that we will not spare anybody found to have misused public fund if found guilty, irrespective of their status.”
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