N1trn probe: Lamorde’ll appear before Senate Tuesday –Anyanwu

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The Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, confirmed on Friday that the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, would appear before his panel on Tuesday to answer questions on allegations of fraud preferred against him.

Anyanwu told our correspondent in a telephone interview in Abuja that the committee would have invited Lamorde earlier before now but for its other engagements.

He said, “We are ready to resume our investigation on the petition brought against the EFCC chairman and he has been summoned to appear before us next week Tuesday (October 10). We should have done it much earlier but for the tight schedule of the committee.”

Also, a member of the committee and the Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Senator Dino Melaye, said that the upper chamber was set to resume the probe of the EFCC boss.

He attributed the delay in summoning Lamorde to appear before the panel to the fact that the Senate was in the last three weeks preoccupied with the screening of the ministerial nominees.

He said, “The petition against the EFCC boss is still pending before the ethics committee but further action on it was stalled because of the ministerial screening especially with the active involvement of the committee members in the exercise.”

Our correspondent learnt from some members of the senate panel that the probe of the anti-graft agency’s boss would resume next week since the accused had been given adequate time to forward his defence.

A security expert, George Uboh, had dragged Lamorde before the senate in August for allegedly diverting N1trn proceeds from forfeited assets seized from corrupt Nigerians.

The senate panel investigating the claims of the petitioner against Lamorde, suspended further action pending the plea by the EFCC legal team, which requested for more time pending the release of the agency’s annual financial report by the end of September.

Our correspondent learnt that the senate was already in possession of this year’s annual financial records of the anti-graft agency which Lamorde said he would need to defend himself.

But a group, Centre for International Integrity, Peace and Development, in a statement by its Director – General, Dr. Stephen Ime, on Friday warned against undue publicity of the probe.

Ime said giving undue publicity to the probe would send wrong signals to foreign investors and the international community that Nigeria was paying lip service to the anti-graft war.

Source: Punch