http://nigeriaworld.com/news/source/2000/may/14/1.html

Senate To Probe Babangida

From Saxone AkhaIne

Kaduna

THE Senate is set to probe the activities of former military president, Gen.
Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, particularly the allegation of six billion
dollars said to have been siphoned during his tenure.

Specifically, the Senate Committee on Public Accounts has directed the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Chief Joseph Sanusi, to furnish the
legislators with vital documents and information on the spendings on major
contracts and international debt-buy-back during his regime.

The Committee Chairman, Senator Idris Abubakar, who spoke to reporters in an
interview after a programme with Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria
(FRCN), Kaduna yesterday stated that "we are aware of the allegations made
against General Babangida, particularly the John Fashanu discoveries and my
committee has asked the CBN to officially comment on the allegations
indicating that various accounts are held outside the country through which
supposed fraud were committed."

Abubakar said that immediately there is response from the CBN governor,
there would be a motion in the Senate for a probe of Gen. Babangida.

Said he: "We are waiting for the response of the CBN. If we get anything
confirmed by the CBN, people of Nigeria shall hear from us and we shall not
compromise our statutory role."

Abubakar added that "it has always been my position that as leader, your
status, past or present, does not matter. If there is any need to invite you
on any issue to the National Assembly, I would expect anybody to be invited
to the National Assembly to answer questions or give account of his
stewardship to Nigerians."

Senator Abubakar also blamed the executive arm for allowing the public to
continuously speculate on how much the government has been able to retrieve
from corrupt past leaders of this country.

He was particularly irked by the recovery made by the Presidency from the
Chagoury family, though unknown to the public, albeit a staggering sum of
money.

The Senator said: "I think I have to agree, and as a result of this
clandestine picture of recovery exercise, a lot of speculaton arise and you
cannot blame those who speculate.

"With evidence of forthrightness and free flow of information by government,
you cannot allow rumour mill to function. There is, for example, this
allegation that 300 million dollars was recovered from the Chagoury family
and out of it only 180 million dollars was paid into the government
treasury."

Added Abubakar: "Now, you know this allegation can dent the image of the
government and the country as a whole, because a government based on
probity, transparency and accountability cannot afford a cloud hanging over
it."

He explained that "my committee has written to the CBN to confirm how much
was recovered from the Chagoury family, if any; what was paid into the
treasury and when it was paid in. By the time the CBN respond and confirm,
we would, of course, ask the government to tell Nigerians how it intends
applying those resources, and we intend to do our best in the committee to
clear the air."




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