#BudgetPadding: Police to search Appropriation office for documents

Indications emerged on Saturday that the police in its ongoing investigations over alleged budget padding in the House of Representatives would search documents and computers at the secretariat of the Appropriation Committee.

The former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin had accused Speaker Yakubu Dogara and three other principal officers of padding the 2016 budget to the tune of N40 billion.

According to Punch, a source revealed that the police would seek permission from the Department of State Services to search documents and computers in the secretariat.

“We are making necessary arrangement anytime in the new week to request the Department of State Services to reopen the secretariat so that we could have access to data and other evidence that were being protected by its operatives,” the source said.

It was also gathered that the non-release of  the draft and final copies of the 2016 budget has been delaying investigations by the police panel.

It was learnt that the National Assembly Clerk, Mohammed Sani-Omolori was yet to provide copies of the budget, even after the panel had requested them two weeks ago.

“The panel needs the draft copies and the final version of the budget, but since it dispatched its request to the National Assembly clerk, nothing has been heard about it, and this of course, has slowed down the momentum of the probe. But we are still expecting the officials to send the documents.

“We are giving them time to respond because we know that NASS officials are also indirectly on recess because the lawmakers were on recess, but next week would be crucial. There are major steps that would be taken to move things forward in the investigation,” the source said.

One comment

  1. Imagine! Telling us what they want to do?

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