FG retrieves over 500 case files from Obono-Obla panel

Over 500 case files have been retrieved from the office of the disbanded Special Presidential Investigation Panel on the Recovery of Public Property for review by the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Our correspondent learnt that an eight-man panel set up by the Department of Public Prosecutions in the ministry is reviewing the heaps of files retrieved from the office of the panel in the Asokoro area of Abuja.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on September 18, 2019 dissolved the SPIP led by Okoi Obono-Obla and directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), to take over the panel’s cases.

The panel which was constituted in August 2017 was dissolved by the President following the probe launched against its then chairman, Obono-Obla, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission which levelled among other charges against him, falsification of records and financial impropriety.

Our correspondent learnt on Monday that following the President’s directive to the AGF to take over the panel’s cases, the DPP in the ministry set up the eight-man committee earlier in October to review the cases and take appropriation actions on the files.

Sources said the review committee had so far discovered that “there is the need for further investigations by relevant law enforcement agencies on many of the cases being handled by the SPIP.”

The cases filed by the SPIP within its about two years life span were said to be ranging from forfeiture matters, civil cases, particularly the ones challenging the powers and constitutionality of the panel, to criminal cases.

One of the sources said, “You cannot rule out the fact that the SPIP started well in investigating most of the cases that have been reviewed so far, but many of the investigations were not deep and conclusive.

“That is the reason some of the cases needed to be withdrawn, reviewed and sent to the relevant law enforcement agencies.

“So far, the review panel had discovered cases that ought to be handled by the ICPC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Code of Conduct Bureau, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the police and the Ministry of Justice.

“After the review, the ministry is going to refer the cases to the relevant agencies.”

The AGF’s reaction to the development could not be obtained on Monday as he has yet to introduce an accessible spokesperson to reporters covering the ministry.

But a former prosecutor for the SPIP, Mr Tosin Ojaomo, told our correspondent on Monday that he had heard about the move by the Ministry of Justice to refer the SPIP’s cases to various law enforcement agencies.

But Ojaomo, who earlier on October 14, 2019 sent a letter to the AGF office demanding the payment of N150m unpaid fees for the cases he handled for the panel under the Obono-Obla’s chairmanship, faulted the move, saying the SPIP “ought to be reconstituted to continue its work instead of sending its cases to other agencies.”

Ojaomo said, “By virtue of the Recovery of Public Property Special Provisions Act of 2004, the SPIP is of equal status with EFCC and the rest. In addition, the SPIP is the only anti-corruption body that has the power to take up all forms of corruption cases.

“So the President ought to reconstitute the panel to continue its cases.”

However, a former Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Monday Ubani, backed the move by the ministry to refer the cases to the various agencies.

“I support the move by the ministry to refer the cases of the panel to the relevant agencies. But in the long run, many of these agencies with overlapping mandates should be streamlined.

“A well-funded, well-equipped, corruption-free and efficient police can handle many of the cases.”