Ministers were Looting the Treasury – Reports
- By Williams Ekanem
- Published March 22nd, 2010
- News
- Unrated
DETAILS of events that led to the sack of all ministers last week by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan has started emerging. Findings by BusinessWorld Intelligence in Washington D.C., United States, show that majority of the former ministers took undue advantage of the vacuum created by the absence of President Umaru Yar’Adua to embark on frivolous spending and systematic looting.
Reports available to BusinessWorld have it that in recent weeks, senior government officials submitted reports to the Acting President detailing suspicious and unchecked expenditures.
A pointer to this is the searchlight already being beamed on some of the ministers even before the dissolution of the cabinet. At least five former ministers have their financial dealings being investigated by one specially set up committee or the other.
It is due to this very reason that sources said Professor Dora Akunyili, immediate former minister of Information and Communication, told State House correspondents that “He did not give us any reason for the dissolution of the cabinet.”
Already, those suspected to have case to answer are said to be under the close watch list of several law enforcement agencies in the country. It is also for this reason that the ministers have been barred from traveling outside the country for now. This, the report said, does not include those ministers who may be returned to the Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF) to either continue or complete very vital projects that have yet to be completed.
The reports said a former minister who fails to make it back to the EXCOF could be invited for questioning by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) based on allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment.
Reports available to BusinessWorld have it that in recent weeks, senior government officials submitted reports to the Acting President detailing suspicious and unchecked expenditures.
A pointer to this is the searchlight already being beamed on some of the ministers even before the dissolution of the cabinet. At least five former ministers have their financial dealings being investigated by one specially set up committee or the other.
It is due to this very reason that sources said Professor Dora Akunyili, immediate former minister of Information and Communication, told State House correspondents that “He did not give us any reason for the dissolution of the cabinet.”
Already, those suspected to have case to answer are said to be under the close watch list of several law enforcement agencies in the country. It is also for this reason that the ministers have been barred from traveling outside the country for now. This, the report said, does not include those ministers who may be returned to the Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF) to either continue or complete very vital projects that have yet to be completed.
The reports said a former minister who fails to make it back to the EXCOF could be invited for questioning by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) based on allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment.
