UPDATED: Why Senate suspended former leader Ali Ndume

- PREMIUMTIMES

The Senate has suspended Ali Ndume, its former leader, who had asked for investigation of allegations of importing a bullet proof range rover with fake documents involving Senate President Bukola Saraki and that of perjury involving Dino Melaye.

The Senate reached the decision, Wednesday, after the resolution to uphold the recommendation of the committee on ethics and privileges chaired by Samuel Anyanwu.

He was suspended for six months, instead of one year originally recommended by the ethics committee.

Mr. Anyanwu, whose committee convened investigative hearing on the two matters on Monday, reported that Mr. Ndume failed to conduct proper investigation before making “the allegations”.

But during the investigative hearing, Mr. Ndume told the committee he did not make allegation or raise a petition against the duo of Mr. Melaye and Mr. Saraki but only raised the issues, having read them in the newspaper.

Last week, Mr. Ndume had said the matters had made the Senate subject of public ridicule, thereby calling for probe.

“When we see anything against another Senator, we must bring it to the floor of the Senate before making hurtful statement,” said Barau Jibrin in his contribution before the vote was taken.

Messrs Saraki and Melaye were cleared of any wrongdoing in the matters.

But the committee absolved Mr. Saraki of any culpability in respect of the car imported with fake documents and seized by the Nigeria Customs Service.

Mr. Anyanwu said the car importer and dealer confirmed Mr. Saraki or the Senate was not involved in the importation of the vehicle in 2015, and that the allegation against Mr. Saraki was made up.

On Mr. Melaye whose claim to an Ahmadu Bello University degree was questioned, Mr. Anyanwu said the Vice-Chancellor of the institution confirmed the Kogi West Senator graduated from ABU in 2000.

Mr. Anyanwu further reported that Mr. Melaye tendered his statement of result and National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate which he obtained in 2001, having started in 2000.

The committee therefore recommended that Mr. Ndume be suspended for one year, that is 181 legislative days.

But two Senators pleaded for a lesser punishment.

Abubakar Yusuf said Mr. Ndume had done “a wrong” to Messrs. Melaye and Saraki; and suggested that the former Senate Leader be suspended from committee activities, not plenaries, and that he should be asked to apologise to the accused who were his allies in the struggle to win the Senate leadership at the expense of Ahmed Lawan, backed by the All Progressives Congress.

Matthew Urhoghide moved for six-month suspension, instead of one year.

Mr. Urhoghide’s position eventually became the resolution of the Senate.

Mr. Saraki, who initially presided over Wednesday’s sitting, yielded the seat to Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu when the proceedings progressed to the consideration of the probe committee’s report.

BREAKING: ‘Dokpesi got N2.1bn within three months for 2015 presidential campaigns’

- PUNCH

A relationship manager with First Bank Plc, Maitama branch, Abuja, Mrs. Zainab Ibrahim-Kokobili, on Wednesday gave details of how African Independent Televison’s founder, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, received N2.1bn from the Office of the National Security Adviser between January and March 2015.

Ibrahim-Kokobili was testifying before Justice John Tsoho of a Federal High Court in Abuja as the third prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Dokpesi, along with his firm, Daar Investment and Holdings Limited, on charges bordering on the N2.1bn they (Dokpesi and Daar) received from ONSA.

Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Oluwaleke Atolagbe, the witness said the money was paid by ONSA into the account of Daar Investments and Holdings Limited’s First Bank account, to which Dokpesi was said to be a signatory.

Daar Investment and Holdings Limited is the registered owner of AIT.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had filed six counts of money laundering and other charges relating to procurement fraud against Dokpesi and Daar Investments for allegedly receiving N2.12bn from ONSA to prosecute Peoples Democratic Party’s 2015 presidential media campaign.

Dokpesi and Daar Investments were said to have received N2.12bn from ONSA, while being headed by Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), as payment for a “purported contract on presidential media initiative.”

The prosecution alleged that the payment was in breach of and punishable under provisions of the Public Procurement Act, Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act and the EFCC (Establishment) Act.

Testifying as a prosecution witness on Wednesday, Ibrahim-Kokobili told the court that she had been Daar Investments and Holding Limited’s account officer at First Bank since November 2014.

Reading from the company’s statement of account, the witness said N2.12bn was paid into the account in four tranches of N500m, N500m, N620m and N500m between January and March 2015.

The witness said the balance on the company’s account was N113,885.28 before the first tranche of N500m was paid into the account on January 22, 2015.
Ibrahim-Kokobili said, “January 22, 2015 – RTGS, being payment by ONSA: N500m. It was a credit.

“Before the payment of N500m, the balance on the account was N113,885.28.

“February 4, 2015 – RTGS, being payment by ONSA: N500m.

“February 9, 2015 – RTGS, being payment by ONSA: N620m only. It was also a credit.

“March 19, 2015 – the naration is RTGS being payment by ONSA: N500m.”

She said Dokpesi and his son, Paul, were the two signatories to the account of Daar Investments and Holdings Limited.
She said going by the nature of the mandate on the account, either of the two signatories could singly give instruction to draw money from it.

She explained that the sum of N2.12bn was disbursed from Daar Investments and Holdings Limited after receiving instructions from Dokpesi.

She said, “The customer sent instructions to the bank for payments.

“Money was paid after getting confirmation from the customer.

“High Chief Raymond Anthony Alegho Dokpesi was the signatory who sent instructions for the payments.”

The witness was, however, not led by the prosecuting counsel to give details of the beneficiaries of the disbursements.

Earlier, the witness said she was invited by the EFCC to its Abuja office on February 6, 2016.

She said during the visit to the EFCC, she wrote a statement and presented to the anti-graft agency’s officials, documents relating to Daar Investments and Holdings Limited’s account with First Bank.

The documents were, the statement of account, account opening documentation, certificate of identification and transfer instructions on the account.

The prosecution tendered the documents and were admitted as exhibits by the judge without n objection from the defence team led by Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN) on Wednesday.

Under cross examination by Agabi, the witness said she did not know when the company’s account was opened but confirmed that the account was already in existence before the payment of N2.12bn into it.

When asked, she confirmed that she considered a payment by ONSA into an account as legitimate.

She also confirmed that there were many Nigerians who were in the habit of keeping money at home.

She also confirmed that a person who put his or her money in the bank “is not trying to hide it.”

When asked if she knew why the sum of N2.12bn was paid into Daar’s account she said “no”.

After the cross-examination by defence counsel, the prosecuting counsel, Atolagbe, re-examined the witness.

When asked by Atolagbe whether the bank “determines” the legitimacy of payments made into a customer’s account, the witness said, “at the point of credit, the bank would not know”.

Justice Tsoho adjourned until May 24 and 25, 2017 for further trial.