The Bayelsa State Government has requested the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to remit to it the sum of N1.4 billion and another $1.3 million recovered from a former governor of the state, Diepreye Alamieyesiegha.
To recover the money from the anti-graft agency, the state government has briefed the Chief Executive of Panic Alert Security System (PASS), Mr. George Uboh.
In line with his mandate, Uboh wrote to the EFCC requesting that the monies be paid to him within seven days following which the commission requested him to meet with its staff on December 19, 2013.
Uboh said he met with the EFCC and the commission asked him for a short time to comply.
He said as at the beginning of this month, the commission was yet to remit the monies and that the state had instructed that a suit be filed against the commission to recover the monies.
In a writ of summons issued at the Federal High Court against EFCC and its Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, the state is asking the court to declare 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.
In the suit filed by the state’s lawyer, Mr. Anthony Agbonlahor, the state also asked the court to issue an order directing the commission to immediately pay the monies with the interest, which had accrued on them.
The state asked the court to declare that Lamorde who took part in the investigation and prosecution of Alamieyesiegha should not have allowed the looted funds recovered from the former governor to be traded with.
Bayelsa asked the court to hold that Lamorde was not qualified to continue in office as the chairman of EFCC having violated his oath of office.
It further asked the court to order the EFCC to pay 21 per cent interest on the N1.4 billion and the $1.3 million from November 1, 2013 until judgment was delivered by the court.
The state also asks the court to, “direct the EFCC to pay to it $400,000 being the amount forfeited by its former governor and which funds had since been repatriated by the United States Government to the EFCC.”
