BY LINUS CHIBUIKE
FORMER Accountant-General of the Federation, Jonah Ogunniyi Otunla, and former Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Inde Dikko, refunded a total of about N8bn to the Federal Government to avoid being prosecuted, according to court documents.
While Otunla, who was Accountant-General under the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration, between 2011 and 2015, returned N6.39bn, Dikko, who served as Customs CG between 2009 and 2015, returned N1.6bn (which is the naira equivalent of $8million at the then exchange rate of N197 per dollar).
These were revealed in documents presented in court by the ex-government officials in the suit filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission, contesting their continued prosecution by the anti-graft agencies.
The suits were instituted on the premise that the complainants were told to make the refunds into the coffers of the Federal Government in lieu of prosecution.
There had allegedly been an agreement between the suspended acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, and the former Accountant-General that the latter would not be prosecuted if he returned funds traced to him, companies linked to him, and his associates to Government.
He explained that in 2015, he was invited by a team of EFCC investigators, probing alleged diversion of funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria pension funds.
It was when he met with Magu while the investigation was on that he was told to refund the money to avoid prosecution, according to his report.
In line with the agreement, one of the companies linked to him, Stellar Vera Development Limited, refunded N750m, while another company, Damaris Mode Coolture Limited, refunded N550m, he said.
The two companies also made a joint refund of N2.15m at a later date.
In all, the former AG-F said he refunded, through the EFCC, N6,392,000,000.00 to the Federation Account.
He therefore asked the court to stop the EFCC from prosecuting him, among others, considering the assurance given to him by the suspended EFCC boss, and the refund he had made.
On his part, the former Customs CG said he had met with the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Director-General of the State Security Service at International Hotel, Park lane, Mayfair, London.
He said Malami, at the meeting, told him to return $8m or its equivalent in naira, at N197 to a dollar, so as to prevent the Federal Government of Nigeria from prosecuting him, which he fully complied with.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja, in a recent judgement, agreed that Dikko could no longer be prosecuted by the ICPC in view of the agreement with the AGF.
Justice Mohammed cited an earlier decision by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba (also of the Federal High Court, Abuja) in the suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/587/2018 in which Justice Dimgba had found that in view of the agreement with the AGF, Dikko could no longer be prosecuted by the EFCC and any other federal prosecuting agency in relation to his activities while in office.
