Missing Fund: Court Orders Former Minister, FG to Account for N30tn, by Olaniyi Abdulwaheed



A federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered Federal Government and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Minister of Economy and Finance, to shed light on the spending of N30tillion, representing some income meant for the Federal Government during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Hon. Justice Ibrahim Baba delivered the judgment last week following the Freedom of Information suit number FHC/L/CS/196/2015 provided by the Socio-Economic Right and Accountability Project (SERAP).

SERAP’S suit followed the argument of the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Soludo, saying that at least N30 trillion might have been stolen or unaccounted for or hideously misappropriated when Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was the Minister of Economy and Finance.


According to the report of Premium Times, the judgment to of Justice Baba reads in parts:
“The preliminary  objection is on the following grounds: that Federal High Court to issue and serve the Originating Summons and other processes outside Lagos State; that there is no mandatory endorsement on the Originating Summons that it is to be served on Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala and Federal Government in Abuja and outside the jurisdiction of this court.

“He who wants equity must do equity. This suit was filed on 25 Febuary, 2015 and from the record of the court was served on Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala and the Federal Government on 3rd July, 2015. It took about 3 months for them to come with technical response to the simple request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2011.

“Mrs Okonjo-Iweala and the Federal Government have therefore been caught by Order 29 of the Rules of this Court, which requires that an application shall be made within 21 days after service on the Defendants of the originating summons.”



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