The former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde, on Tuesday, failed to honour the invitation to testify at the public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.
The panel was constituted to look into allegations that Lamorde, in his capacity as EFCC boss, failed to remit over N1 trillion seized from corrupt public officials.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Lamorde’s lawyer, Festus Keyamo, questioned the panel’s authority to invite his client in his private capacity.
According to Keyamo, it was erroneous for the Senate to invite Lamorde, even after he had left the anti-graft agency.
The lawyer said the senators lacked powers to invite his client to testify because he was no longer the chairman of the anti-graft agency, adding that he could only be invited now as a witness.
Senator Dino Melaye, who’s a member of the committee, responded saying: “We have invited the former chairman of the EFCC on several occasions.”
“First was on August 26, 2015. We have sent several invitations to him. To my dismay, he is not here again this afternoon and this is not a court of law, where a lawyer can go and defend his client.”
“By convention and practice, once you get the summons of the National Assembly, it is imperative, mandatory and obligatory that you must appear. This is contained in Section 89 of the Constitution.”
In response, Keyamo said: “It is a matter of complete misunderstanding of issues at stake. When Lamorde was invited to this committee, he was invited as chairman of EFCC, and between then and now, the circumstances had changed. He is no longer the chairman of EFCC.
“So, because of that, he thought that would be the end of his invitation because he was invited in that capacity. He then handed over the case and travelled for medicals.
The Senate panel however, insisted that Lamorde, must show up on Tuesday, November 24 in his own interest.
