The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has started the probe of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, following the alleged padding of the 2016 national budget.

The allegations were made by the former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin against Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers of the House.

Jibrin had accused them of padding the budget to the tune of N400 billion and had went ahead to submit a petition to the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices to that effect.

It was also gathered yesterday that the EFCC has decided to launch investigations into the possible involvement of the Senate Committee on Appropriations in the alleged padding.

According to Vanguard, the agency saw the need to probe the senate committee after preliminary findings by the EFCC team. The Committee would be investigated for alleged insertions amounting to about N5 billion in some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

It would also be recalled that the Police had last week waded into the same issue, a development said to have created a level of confusion for the EFCC, with an official saying, “we don’t know what the man really wants, by sending the same petition to different agencies.”

Sources said that the EFCC has decided to broaden its investigations to cover activities of the legislative chambers since the budget was jointly passed by them.

The source said: “It is true the petition by Jibril centered on activities of the House leadership, but in order to ensure that there are no clash of investigations, the EFCC has decided to centre its investigations on the Senate Committee on Appropriations. By that we will be able to make distinct discoveries.”

Azeez