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Nigeria: N300 Million Health Scam - Come to Court Today, EFCC Tells Iyabo
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Leadership (Abuja)
12 May 2008
Posted to the web 12 May 2008
Gowon Emakpe
Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has asked the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, who is presently at large to come to court today if she wants the charges over her alleged involvement in the sharing of the N300 million unspent fund in the Federal Ministry of Health to be quashed.
The anti-graft agency said this in its reply to Obasanjo-Bello's motion seeking to quash criminal charges of alleged retention of N10 million stolen from the ministry.
Obasanjo-Bello is seeking an order of the court quashing the two- count charges against her, that the charges disclosed no prima facie and were official acts of the National Assembly, for which the National Assembly had claimed responsibility, to the awareness of the EFCC.
But counsel to the EFCC, in a counter-affidavit to the motion, said Obasanjo-Bello is not properly before the court, stressing that she should come to court if she wants to quash the charges.
He said that its investigation of the conduct of the other members of the House and Senate committees on health showed that Obasanjo-Bello and not other members of the health committee deliberately retained the sum of N10 million, having knowledge that same was stolen money.
He said that Obasanjo-Bello was properly notified of the fraudulent source of the N10 million given to the Senate committee on health, which went ahead to spend the money.
He added that Obasanjo-Bello is accountable for the said sum of N10 million, having been informed of the fraudulent source of the money and she chose to retain same.
Justice Salisu Garba, of an Abuja High Court, will today hear the motion of Obasanjo-Bello challenging the jurisdiction of the court and seeking to quash the charges.
The court will also hear a motion by the EFCC seeking an order to arraign Obasanjo-Bello as the 12th accused person.
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It would be recalled that the EFCC arrested and charged the former minister of health, Professor Adenike Grange, and 10 others to court over allegations of stealing the ministry's N300 million and declared Obasanjo-Bello wanted.
This whole mess with EFCC, Iyabo and the court is now a charade exposesing the society how name recognition, wealth and all that can buy some people freedom from after committing a crime against the state. Nigerians are simply standing by watching how this whole Iyabo saga will pan out.
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