• Lamorde
Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were yesterday walked out of the sitting of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.
The committee, which sat at the Senate Hearing Room, is investigating alleged diversion of over N1 trillion by EFCC Chairman Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde.
The controversial investigation had started smoothly by 10.45 am with the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, hitting the gavel to open the proceedings.
Anyanwu asked the committee’s Secretary/Clerk, Freedom Osolo, to read out petitions before the committee.
Osolo read some petitions, including the one written by the Chief Executive Officer of Panic Alert Security Systems (PASS), Dr. George Uboh.
Anyanwu asked Uboh to affirm that he wrote the petition.
Uboh answered in the affirmative.
Uboh was half way into his evidence in chief when some EFCC officials led by the Director (Legal), Mr. Chile Okoroma walked into the hearing room.
Among the EFCC officials was also Barrister Osuakwu Ugochukwu, who said he was at the hearing to represent Lamorde.
Okoroma sought and was given permission to speak.
He noted that they (EFCC officials) were taken aback because most of the documents the petitioner referred to were not made available to the commission.
He also said the documents referred to the EFCC as a body and not to Lamorde as a person.
Okoroma said that the petitioner claimed that the alleged frauds were committed by Lamorde.
The EFCC wanted to know why the committee decided to hear a petitioner with documents that were not made available to the person alleged to have committed the crimes.
He insisted that the documents should have been made available to the EFCC.
Uboh said that as the Chief Executive Officer of PASS, he takes responsibility for every thing done by PASS.
Anay said the Chairman of EFCC wrote the committee to ask for an extension of time.
Anyanwu said that he did not expect to see EFCC officials at the hearing since the body had written for extension of time.
Another member of the committee, Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West), said it had the right to decide its procedure.
Melaye said the committee chose to listen to the petitioner and adopted to hear the EFCC boss at a later date.
Another member of the Committee, Senator Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim (Kwara South), said the EFCC officials should be walked out of the hearing room since they were not supposed to be there.
Ibrahim said before anybody could be heard, the person must be on oath. He noted that since the EFCC officials were not on oath, they should be asked to leave the hearing room.
Ayanwu said the EFCC officials should excuse members of the committee.
It was apparent the decision of the committee did not go down well with the EFCC officials.
Uboh resumed his evidence.
He claimed that contrary to the provisions of Section 36 of the EFCC (Establishment) Act of 2004, EFCC grossly under reported its recoveries, hence it did not remit.
Uboh also claimed that EFCC doctored bank accounts.
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