Senate plans Lamorde’s arrest over alleged N1tn diversion

Lamorde

The Senate on Thursday asked its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to begin the process of issuing a warrant for the arrest of a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde.
The Senate had been investigating Lamorde on a petition written against him by one Dr. George Uboh, on the alleged diversion of over N1tn allegedly recovered from treasury looters by the anti-graft agency.
Uboh, the Chief Executive Officer of Panic Alert Security Systems, had petitioned the Senate through the senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Peter Nwaoboshi.
He had alleged that Lamorde, in connivance with some other EFCC officials, short-changed the Federal Government in the remittance of the funds and assets recovered from some eminent public office-holders.
Uboh alleged that under Lamorde, the EFCC operated accounts in banks, which did not reflect in the EFCC audited accounts.
He also alleged that the EFCC doctored and manipulated bank accounts to conceal its diversion of funds, and also released recovered funds to unidentified persons and some EFCC officials.
Apart from this, he was accused of also converting over 90 per cent of the money EFCC to recovered to foreign currencies.
At the consideration of the report on Thursday at the plenary, the ethics panel lamented that efforts made to get Lamorde’s reaction to the allegations were not successful.
The Chairman of the committee, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who read the report, noted that Lamorde ignored invitations extended to him and therefore recommended that a warrant for his arrest should be issued.
He said that Lamorde had been invited on three occasions through letters dated August 19, 2015, November 3, 2015, and November 11, 2015, but that all the invitations were turned down by the former EFCC boss.
He added that the panel was convinced that Larmode deliberately refused to appear to defend the allegations against him.
The committee therefore said it was good for the Senate to force Larmode to appear if only to “save the National Assembly, as the highest law-making body of the nation, from an irreparable damage to its reputation and capacity to summon.”
The committee also recommended that a warrant for Lamorde’s arrest should be issued by the Senate.
But the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, cautioned the Senate against any act capable of causing a constitutional breach.
He said sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) had spelt out criteria for issuing a warrant for arrest on any individual.
According to him, the constitution does not indicate that such a warrant should be agreed upon through a resolution of the Senate, but on the recommendation of the committee.
Ekweremadu said the ethics committee was supposed to forward a request to the Senate President to issue a directive to the Inspector-General of Police.
According to the DSP, sections 88(1) and 89(1) (1-5) of the constitution clearly stipulates the mechanism for the two arms of the legislature to summon a person and also generate warrants in case of disobedience to the summons by the concerned person.
The DSP noted that the power to issue an arrest warrant lies with the committee and not the Senate in session. He urged the Senate to do the right thing.
He said, “So what is required here is for the committee to issue a warrant for arrest and then the President of the Senate will direct the police to effect the arrest.”
“It is not the business of the Senate during plenary to do so. Otherwise, we will be offending this part of the constitution.
“So, the issue of warrant of arrest is not something that we will take a resolution on. The resolution has already been taken by the committee.
“If there is any consequential order that needs to be made, the committee can deal with that and direct it through the Office of the President of the Senate, who will direct the Police to effect the warrant.”
The Senate President agreed with his deputy’s submission as he ruled that the committee should do the right thing to get the warrant of arrest issued on Larmode.
He said, “The issue has been well spelt out by the DSP and clearly referred to in the constitution. Based on the constitution, the issue should be left at the level of the committee and in accordance with Section 89 of the Constitution.”