Alleged N1trn diversion: Justice Ministry orders Larmode’s probe

The Federal Ministry of Justice has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the allegation leveled against its chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, that he diverted about N1tn proceeds of corruption recovered by the anti-graft agency. This followed a petition dated September 18, 2015, to the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Abdullahi Yola. The petitioner, Chief Executive Officer of Panic Alert Security Systems, a security firm,George Uboh, had sent a reminder letter dated September 28, to Yola, threatening to sue the ministry if he failed to respond to his petition within seven days. Uboh had in his petition asked the justice ministry, “through which EFCC derives its power to prosecute to immediately rescind the fiat to prosecute criminal suspects from EFCC.” He also sought an immediate issuance of “fiat for the prosecution of EFCC’s past and present leadership and their known and unknown co- conspirators via the 22-page preliminary criminal charges the undersigned has prepared.” Uboh, who had earlier petitioned the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, leveling the same set of allegations against Lamorde, finally got the ministry’s letter dated October 8, 2015. The ministry’s letter which was signed by the Director, Public Prosecutions of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Muhammad Diri, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, was dated October 8, 2015. The letter, made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday indicated that Yola had directed the EFCC to investigation the allegation against Lamorde and forward the result of investigation to him “as soon as it is completed”. The letter with reference number, DPPA/PET/ EFCC/006/2008 reads, “I refer to your letter dated the 28th September, 2015, in respect of the above mentioned subject matter. “I am directed to inform you that your petition has been sent to the EFCC for their response to the allegation contained therein. The commission has been directed by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary to forward the result of its investigation as soon as it is completed. “Accept please, the assurances of the highest regards of the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary.” But Uboh insisted on Monday that “pursuant to the Civil Service Rules, Ibrahim Lamorde, must step aside during the pendency of the investigation by the commission.”