Group releases 'evidence' to nail Saraki, Dogara, others in N630m rent scam

The group, Citizens Action to Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN), had accused Senate President Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, House Speaker Yakubu Dogara, and his deputy, Lasun Yusuf of N630 million fraud.

It said the lawmakers stole the said sum by using the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to pay rent and renovation and furnishing fees to themselves for phony official residences.

But Saraki had on Tuesday, January 31, described the allegations as false.

"There is no truth to the claim by this group. In fact, during the preparation of the budget, the Senate President and Speaker directed the FCDA to remove the N10 billion voted for the construction of their official residences to save cost. The current leadership of the National Assembly will not be part of any illegal payment to anybody," Saraki's spokesman had said.

Dogara, through his media aide, Turaki Hassan, also denied the allegations.

"Presiding officers of the National Assembly are entitled to official accommodation, which is provided for by the FCDA as the host of the National Assembly. The same is applicable to the President, Vice President and the Chief Justice of Nigeria because their offices were not covered by the monetization policy. Consequently, no National Assembly presiding officer receives any money from any other source for accommodation or rent. The FCDA is solely responsible for providing official accommodation for presiding officers of the National Assembly and how it goes about it is entirely its business and not that of any presiding officer. It’s callous, wicked and evil for any news medium to seek to perpetuate the mendacity that National Assembly Presiding Officers collected money from FCDA without any form of evidence whatsoever," Hassan said.

According to SaharaReporters, CATBAN described Saraki and Dogara as "pathological liars."

"What we have at the helm of affairs of our legislature are nothing but pathological liars and individuals who have no moral responsibility whatsoever in being at the helm of affairs of our legislature," the group said in a statement issued on Wednesday, February 1 and obtained by the online news portal.

The group argued that the monetization policy, as stipulated by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) Act, does not exempt the principal Officers of the National Assembly. This, said CATBAN, explains why former Senate President David Mark and former Speaker of the House of Representatives and current Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal were allowed to own their residences provided by the National Assembly.

"What the accused persons have put forward through their aides are sad, unfortunate lies, which demand utmost condemnation from Nigerians," CATBAN insisted.

It said the current National Assembly, since its inception, has received N150 billion and N120 billion respectively as its annual budgets through first-line charge.

The group further argued that monetized provision of accommodation for principal officers are stipulated and specified in the national legislative budget, adding that only the Senate President and the Speaker have access to the contents of that budget and have refused to disclose such to members of both chambers.

It said: "The reason is simple. As long as it remains shrouded in secrecy, these individuals can continually perpetrate their criminal activities. The principal officers of the National Assembly, therefore, have no excuse whatsoever to go asking for money from FCDA in the name of accommodation. What they have done is false representation and extortion, in connivance with individuals in the agency."

CATBAN alleged that the reason the principal officers refused to allow the N10 billion meant for the completion of the construction of their residences in the budget is the wish to criminally exploit the situation.

"That contract being handled by Julius Berger Plc was, as a courtesy by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, intended to provide official residence for any sitting officer of the legislature.

"Instead, they cut the allocation to N1 billion in the budget even when they know very well that it cannot in anyway advance the construction work. This is because they have seen the chance to continue to use the accommodation demand to FCDA as a conduit pipe to loot the treasury. The National Assembly has continued to spend millions of naira on the rent accommodation and guest houses (too numerous to mention, both in Abuja & Lagos) for the Principal Officers from the budget of the National Assembly, and still go to the FCDA to collect money for the same exercise," CATBAN said.

According to the group, its investigation revealed that the four principal officers received a total sum of N630,125,499.90 from the FCDA through proxies and fronts presented as agents and property owners.

CATBAN gave details of the accounts through which each of the lawmakers received the alleged illegal payments.

The Senate President was said to have received a total of N199,999,999.90 for the property located at 48 Lake Chad Crescent, Maitama, Abuja.

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Breaking it down - Saraki was allegedly paid N113,095,238.00 plus N11,904,761.90 as Value Added Tax (VAT) as rent and N67,857,142.86 plus N7,142,857.14 VAT for furnishing.

Dogara, using a property at 9 Persian Gulf Close, off Euphrates Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, (recently built for him by A. A. Oil), allegedly got N150,293,500.00.

the details was given as; N72,833,333.32 plus N7,666,666. 68 (VAT) as rent and N63,146,500.00 plus N6,647,000.00 (VAT) for furnishing.

Ekweremadu allegedly received a total sum of N149,832,000.00 - broken down as N90,476,190.76 plus N9,525,809.24 (VAT) as rent and N45,084,285.72 plus N4,745,714.28 (VAT) for furnishing.

The Deputy Speaker allegedly got N62,428,571.42 plus N6,571,428.58 (VAT) in rent and N55, 190,476.18 plus N5,809,523.82 (VAT) for furnishing. The monies were said to have been paid through three companies - Gogetit Investment Limited, Legendark Consult Limited, Pitch Global Services.

The group's investigation revealed that Gogetit received the fraudulent lodgment via Zenith Bank account 1013452206, which has as signatory Orkuma Hembe, brother to Herman Hembe, Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Committee of the House of Representatives.

Legendark received via Guaranty Trust accounts 0212119991, 0216710224, which has Akpoti Felix Otaru as signatory. Akpoti is said to be a brother to Natasha Akpoti, with whom he owns the company, Builders Hub.

Pitch Global Services' accounts at First Bank and Skye Bank were used for the 'illicit' transaction. Both have Harrison Onyekachi Ogu as signatory.

CATBAN noted that it's in possession of all the financial records for the transactions, including how the monies were paid into the accounts, and have made them available to the security agencies for immediate action to ensure everyone involved in this scam is apprehended and made to face justice.