Group Petitions EFCC, ICPC over Alleged Looting of N500bn in C’River
Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
A civil society organisation (CSO), Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT), yesterday alleged that the Cross River State government diverted N500 billion to the private accounts of different companies and government functionaries in eight years of the Prof Ben Ayade administration.
At a media briefing in Abuja, the group claimed that it conducted a comprehensive audit of the state finances between 2015 to 2020, to arrive at the figure.
It made reference to various payments made to certain account numbers without any explanation of what they were meant for contrary to financial regulations.
It cited Financial Regulations 603 which states that, “all vouchers shall contain full particulars of each service such as dates, numbers, quantities, distances and rates and will invariably be supported by relevant documents such as LPOs, invoices, special letters of authority, time, sheets, rates etcetera.”
Speaking at the briefing, the Executive Director (Investigation) of the group, Samson Tega, cited different companies, including Leophina Works Limited, Hali Brown Limited and the office of the Chief of staff to the state chief executive as the entities where several payments by the state government passed through.
It alleged that Leophina Works Limited was incorporated in Port Harcourt, Nigeria with registration Number 631232 with the following directors, notably, Ayade Alami Elizabeth, Alade Akinseye Peter, Akinseye Francis, Francis Ayade and Ben Bengioshuye with company’s registered address as Plot 4, Ada George Street Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Among the long list of entities cited included the sum of N250 million transferred from the Cross River State Infrastructure Company Limited (Infra Cross) with account number 1022036905 domiciled with United Bank for Africa to Zeka Global Company incorporated on January 20, 2020.
It said the Corporate Affairs Commission maintains the company has no traceable address.
However, a source at the Government House, Calabar, who spoke on the condition of anonymity claimed that the state government did not receive such amount in eight years of the Ayade administration.
Group Petitions EFCC, ICPC over Alleged Looting of N500bn in C’River
Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
A civil society organisation (CSO), Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT), yesterday alleged that the Cross River State government diverted N500 billion to the private accounts of different companies and government functionaries in eight years of the Prof Ben Ayade administration.
At a media briefing in Abuja, the group claimed that it conducted a comprehensive audit of the state finances between 2015 to 2020, to arrive at the figure.
It made reference to various payments made to certain account numbers without any explanation of what they were meant for contrary to financial regulations.
It cited Financial Regulations 603 which states that, “all vouchers shall contain full particulars of each service such as dates, numbers, quantities, distances and rates and will invariably be supported by relevant documents such as LPOs, invoices, special letters of authority, time, sheets, rates etcetera.”
Speaking at the briefing, the Executive Director (Investigation) of the group, Samson Tega, cited different companies, including Leophina Works Limited, Hali Brown Limited and the office of the Chief of staff to the state chief executive as the entities where several payments by the state government passed through.
It alleged that Leophina Works Limited was incorporated in Port Harcourt, Nigeria with registration Number 631232 with the following directors, notably, Ayade Alami Elizabeth, Alade Akinseye Peter, Akinseye Francis, Francis Ayade and Ben Bengioshuye with company’s registered address as Plot 4, Ada George Street Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Among the long list of entities cited included the sum of N250 million transferred from the Cross River State Infrastructure Company Limited (Infra Cross) with account number 1022036905 domiciled with United Bank for Africa to Zeka Global Company incorporated on January 20, 2020.
It said the Corporate Affairs Commission maintains the company has no traceable address.
However, a source at the Government House, Calabar, who spoke on the condition of anonymity claimed that the state government did not receive such amount in eight years of the Ayade administration.
