Bayelsa Govt Drag EFCC To Court

THE Bayelsa State government has dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, asking that the sum of N1.4 billion and another 1.3million USD that was recovered from the former governor of the state, Diepreye Alamieyesiegha, be remitted to its treasury.

In a writ of summons it entered before the high court against EFCC and its Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Lamorde, Bayelsa State, applied for a declaration that the failure of EFCC to remit the complete funds recovered from Alamieyesiegha after he was investigated and prosecuted and “subsequently trading with the funds by way of funds placement/fixed deposits is an act of corruption and an economic crime contrary to sections 6 and 7 of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004.”

The state, through its lawyer Mr Anthony Agbonlahor, further prayed the court to issue an order directing the anti-graft commission to forthwith, pay the monies with the interest which had accrued on them over the past years. Besides, the plaintiff, urged the court to declare that the EFCC boss, Lamorde, who took part in the investigation and prosecution of Alamieyesiegha, should not have allowed the looted funds recovered from the ex-governor to be traded with.

It therefore beseeched the court to hold that Lamorde is not qualified to continue in office as chairman of EFCC having violated his oath of office.

More so, it prayed the court to order EFCC to pay 21 per cent interest on the N1.4 Billion and the $1.3 million from 1 November 2013, until judgment was delivered by the court.

Bayelsa state further asked the court to, “direct EFCC to pay to it $400,000.00 being the amount forfeited by its former governor and which funds had since been repatriated by the United States Government to the EFCC.” No date has been slated for the commencement of hearing on the matter which has already been assigned to Court No. 6 at the Federal High Court.

Meantime, determined to recover the money from the EFCC, the Bayelsa State Government has constituted a panel to be chaired by the Chief Executive of Panic Alert Security System, Mr George Uboh.