*Ibrahim Lamorde, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says he will appear on Monday before a probe panel set up by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki to probe a petition written by one George Uboh, alleging diversion of the proceeds of economic crime by Lamorde.
The setting up of the probe panel has raised questions: Why a probe when the EFCC is probing the wife of the senate president for alleged money laundering? Then, how can the senate be wasting ample time on a petition written by Uboh, who was once convicted for wire fraud in the USA and also facing fraud charges with the EFCC , if there is no predetermined agenda?
A group of Senators under the aegis of the Unity Forum said the probe is illegal as its constitution has not followed the procedure in the senate. Well, as many Nigerians agree, nothing follows the procedure anymore in the 8th Senate, what with the alleged forged rules of the National Assembly,used to conduct the election of officers on 9 June.
Here is the drama that happened on day one of the perceived kangaroo panel, headed by Senator Dino Melaye:
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has said it has no confidence in the Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee of the Senate which on Wednesday commenced hearing on a petition by a certain George Uboh, alleging the diversion of N1trillion of recovered assets by the Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde.
The Commission stated that the Committee lacked objectivity and that it was not likely to get a fair hearing, after a delegation sent to observe the proceedings was walked out by the members of the Committee on the pretext that the Commission had earlier written that it would not be present at the hearing.
Uboh was mid-way through his presentation to the Committee when the EFCC delegation led by its Director, Legal and Prosecution, Chile Okoroma, arrived. Okoroma immediately sought to know whether it was the normal procedure for the senate to conduct its hearing with only one of the parties present.
Dino Melaye, chair of the senate committee on information who chose to respond on behalf of the Committee said that the committee was at liberty to adopt any format it deemed fit. They claimed that the Commission was not expected at the hearing, having written to be excused. They proceeded to read the letter from the EFCC, where the Commission asked for another date to be present at the hearing but omitted the portion where the EFCC disclosed that the petitioner is an accused under prosecution by the Commission, on fraud charges.
Okoroma insisted that it amounted to lack of fair hearing for the proceedings to continue in the absence of the EFCC, while also observing that the documents presented to the Committee by the petitioner were not made available to the Commission. To this extent, he wondered how the Commission was supposed to respond to them.
Okoroma further noted that the narration by Uboh only contained reference to the EFCC and not Lamorde even though the hearing was advertised as a probe of Lamorde.
The charade in the senate is considered a direct threat to the anti-corruption agenda of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“The so called hearing is a Bukola Saraki /James Ibori agenda to once again destabilize the EFCC. They are trying to take their pound of flesh of the Commission for having the courage to investigate them. The duo orchestrated the removal of pioneer chairman of the EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu and they believe they can do same to Lamorde”, a source at the senate said
This is not surprising as the Chairman of the Ethics Committee; Peter Nwaoboshi is an Ibori sidekick who served as commissioner to the convicted former governor of Delta state. Though a first term senator, he has already earned a reputation as a rabid Saraki acolyte. Nwaoboshi and Melaye were part of the bodyguard of law makers that escorted Toyin Saraki, wife of the senate president, Bukola Saraki, to the EFCC, where she was recently quizzed for corruption offences.
In their design to distract the leadership of the EFCC under Lamorde, they found a worthy ally in a suspected fraudster, Uboh who is standing trial before Justice J, Aladetoyinbo of the FCT High Court on three counts of fraud (FRN v George Uboh CR/12/09). He is alleged to have converted properties belonging to the Police Equipment Fund.
Uboh is also a felon, who was once convicted for wire fraud in Georgia, United States.