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Tag: ccb

  • Falana faults CCB’s refusal to disclose ex-presidents’, governors’ assets

    Falana faults CCB’s refusal to disclose ex-presidents’, governors’ assets

    Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has condemned the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) for its alleged refusal to grant a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) on the asset declaration of former Presidents and governors.

    The CCB had allegedly turned down the request the ground that an asset declaration form is private information.

    Falana described the ground as “illogical”.

    The eminent lawyer spoke yesterday in Kano in a keynote address, titled: Involvement of Nigerian People in the Fight Against Corruption, delivered at a stakeholders’ dialogue on corruption in Nigeria organised by ActionAid Nigeria.

    Falana said: “The Federal Government has also failed to show commitment to the fight against corruption by encouraging secrecy with respect to asset declaration by public officers. A few days ago, the CCB turned down the request by the Socio-Economic Right And Accountability Project (SERAP) for the release of copies of the declaration forms of former governors and Presidents on the grounds that the declaration forms are private documents.

    “With respect, it is illogical to claim that the asset declaration forms submitted by the erstwhile public officers are private documents. Accordingly, the rejection of the request by SERAP is a contravention of Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

    “It is hoped that the CCB will review its position and allow citizens to access the information in the declaration forms submitted to it by all public officers in view of the new policy of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to enforce effective asset declaration by public office holders.”

    In his paper, the eminent lawyer said: “It is an undeniable fact that the progressive withdrawal of subsidies from social services by the state, which is a key component of the IMF/World Bank-sponsored Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), has led to mass poverty in the land.

    “Through the privatisation of public enterprises and assets, including banks and other financial institutions, the economy was taken over completely by foreign and local interest groups. Thus, the privatisation of public companies, commercialisation of social services, has increased poverty and income inequality in the society.

    “From the reports compiled by the Federal Ministry of Justice and Federal Ministry of Finance as well as the anti-graft agencies, the Federal Government has recovered not less that N1 trillion from treasury looters and through the whistleblowing policy of the Buhari administration.

    “It is suggested that N1 billion be set aside for the establishment of a factory in each of the 774 local governments in the country while the balance should be allocated to the police to secure the country.

    “Having managed the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) under the Sani Abacha junta, President Buhari should have no difficult in investing the recovered loot to address the crises of insecurity and unemployment. After all, $321 million from the Abacha loot is being distributed to the poor, as dictated by Switzerland, which illegally warehoused the loot for almost two decades.”

  • Assets declaration: Onnoghen accuses CCT of flouting procedures

    Suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen has accused the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) of flouting its set standard operation procedures.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Onnoghen accused the CCT of not following its set Standard Operation Procedures in instituting the case against him.

    Onnoghen made the accusation during his resumed trial in Abuja on Friday.

    Onnoghen is being arraigned at the CCT following a charge against him brought by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in January.

    The CCB accused Onnoghen of failing to declare his assets from June 2005, after he became a Justice of the Supreme Court till December 2016, two months after the Federal Government raided the homes of several judges, including those of the Supreme Court in October 2018.

    According to the six-count charge brought against him, Mr Onnoghen is also accused of false declaration of his assets, following his alleged failure to include some domiciliary accounts managed by the Standard Chartered Bank.

    The accounts, created in 2011 and used for the transfer of foreign currencies, were omitted in one of two forms filled on December 14, 2016, by Mr Onnoghen.

    According to section 3(d) of the CCB act, the Bureau is empowered to receive complaints about cases of non-compliance with or breach of the act.

    The section also empowers the CCB to refer such non-compliance to the CCT where the public officers accused of the alleged breach, will be tried according to the provisions of the act.

    The prosecution team led by Aliu Umar, presented three witnesses before closing its case on March 21.

    More details later…

  • Aisha Buhari denies condemning CJN’s suspension

    Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha has denied condemning the recent suspension of former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen.

    Mrs Buhari in a statement through her Director, Information, Mr Suleiman Haruna, on Sunday in Abuja, described the news making rounds that she condemned Onnoghen’s removal as fake.

    “The attention of wife of the President has been drawn to a post on social media to the effect that she condemned the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

    “It is important to inform Nigerians that wife of the President has not made any public statements on the matter and therefore the commentary is untrue and fake.

    “This is highly condemnable and we therefore advise the purveyors of such news to recant and desist henceforth,” the statement read.

    Recall that the former CJN was suspended by the Federal Government following a recommendation of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

    The suspension order was executed to enable the tribunal to hear and determine the allegations of false asset declarations filed against Onnoghen by the Code of Conduct Bureau.

     

  • Osinbajo orders PenCom, CCB, ICPC heads to resume pending Senate confirmation

    Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has directed the newly appointed chairmen of the National Pension Commission, Code of Conduct Bureau, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission to resume duty.

    The Permanent Secretary and Director Press Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Bolaji Adebiyi, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said the appointees are directed to resume duties in acting capacities pending their confirmation by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    He said that the appointment was to ensure that there was no vacuum in certain important Federal Institutions.

    The appointees are as follows: in the National Pension Commission, we have Alhaji Ali Usman Ahmed – Acting Chairman, Mr. Funso Doherty – Acting Director-General, Mr. Manasseh T. Denga – Acting Executive Commissioner.

    Others are Abubakar Z. Magawata – Acting Executive Commissioner, Ben Oviosun – Acting Executive Commissioner, Nyerere Anyim – Acting Executive Commissioner

  • Court sacks CCB chairman, 9 others

    Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja has sacked the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) Sam Saba and nine other members of the organisation’s board.

    Justice Nyako in a judgment Friday held that the five-year tenure of the CCB board expired on April 2015.

    The judgment was on a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/411/2016 filed by a group – Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International (KGRFI) led by Okere Nnamdi.

    Justice Nyako was of the view that by virtue of section 155 (1) (c) and Paragraph 1, Part 1, Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Saba and others, all of whom were appointed in 2010, were only entitled to stay in office for five years.

    The judge declined to issue an order compelling the President to remove and replace Saba and the nine other board members, as prayed by the plaintiff.

    She however, directed the AGF to advise the President on the state of the tenure of members of the CCB board.

    Justice Nyako particularly granted the prayer for “a declaration of the honourable court that the tenure of office of the Chairman and nine other members of the Code of Conduct Bureau has elapsed since April 2015; in view of section 155 (1) (c) and Paragraph 1, Part 1, Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”

    The judge granted partially, the two other main reliefs in which the plaintiff sought a declaration that the AGF had failed in his responsibility by not advising the President on the expiration of the tenure of the Chairman and members of the CCB.

    Justice Nyako directed the AGF to give the President the needed advice on the issue.

    The judge declined to grant the consequential reliefs sought by the plaintiff, seeking orders of mandamus compelling the President to remove and appointment replacement for Saba and others.

    Justice Nyako said such reliefs seeking an order of mandamus could only brought under an application for judicial review not under an originating summons as filed in the case.

    The judge also rejected the plaintiff’s the prayer for an order of mandamus directing the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission “to immediately arrest, investigate and prosecute the Chairman and nine other members of the CCB” for allegedly perpetuating themselves in office fraudulently.

    Defendants in the suit were President Muhammadu Buhari, the AGF and the CCB.

     

  • Another CCB official indicts Saraki, says ‘you didn’t declare London properties’

    Another CCB official indicts Saraki, says ‘you didn’t declare London properties’

    The trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB maybe far from over as another official of the Bureau, Samuel Madojemu, insisted on Wednesday that he (Saraki) failed to declare a London property which he acquired through mortgage in 2010.

    Madojemu, who is the Head, Intelligence Unit of the CCB, is the third prosecution witness in the Senate President’s ongoing trial on 16 charges of false asset declaration and breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.

    According to a report by The Punch, the trial is ongoing before the Danladi Umar-led Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja.

    In count 14 of the charges, the defendant was accused of giving an instruction to his banker, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, in 2010, to transfer £1,516,000 within two days to Fortis Bank in London for mortgage redemption.

    The defendant was said to have failed to declare the London mortgage and the property he acquired through it.

    Under cross-examination by the defence lawyer, Mr. Paul Erokoro (SAN), Madojemu had identified a property at 70 Bourne Street, South-West London valued at $4,800,000 which Saraki had declared that he acquired through the proceeds of the sales of rice and sugar/loan in January 2002.

    But under re-examination by the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), on Wednesday, Madojemu said the London property, which Saraki declared that he acquired in 2002, was not the one he acquired through mortgage in 2010.

    The witness said, “It was not stated that there was London property. He also did not declare any mortgage from 2002 to2011.”

    Madojemu also said Saraki failed to declare a card with debit of $3.4m.

    When asked if a declarant was expected to declare a card and properties acquired through his companies, Madojemu said, “If you look at Exhibit 2, you will see the note on asset declaration form.

    “In paragraph 3, it was stated that every declarant is required by law to declare his assets and liabilities including that of his spouse or spouses who are not public officers and those of children under18 years of age, honestly, sincerely and submit same to the bureau within 90 days of receipt.

    “I also want to refer you to the page 3 of the form (under buildings).

    “Your lordship will see under the column ‘Car acquired/source’. What I had said was that these are instructions for a declarant to declare his assets and liablities.

    “If you have a bank loan, credit or any card of card or asset of your nominees or your spouse and children under 18years they are going to be declared and you have to declare the date of acquisition.

    “If you go to columns on ‘Building’, you are going to declare there whether your building was acquired through a nominee or any form it was acquired.”