Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde is expected to appear on Wednesday before the House of Representatives Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, which is conducting a public hearing to determine the status of assets seized or recovered by the EFCC since inception.
Though Lamorde was scheduled to appear before the committee on Tuesday, he was unable to attend due to some prior commitment. He however sent a letter of apology to the committee.
The letter was delivered by a team of top EFCC management led by Director of Finance and Accounts, Mr. Bukar Abba, explained that Lamorde travelled to Lagos for an earlier scheduled appointment and therefore pleaded with the committee to allow him appear on another date.
Bukar told Chairman of the committee, Jagaba Adams Jagaba that Lamorde holds the committee in high esteem and would be ready to appear before it as soon as he returns to Abuja.
The committee therefore directed the EFCC chairman to appear before it on Wednesday, July 17, a date the EFCC has confirmed. The committee also directed that the chief executive officers of the various organisations scheduled to appear before it come in person and not delegate subordinate officers.
Earlier, Jagaba said the committee was carrying out its legislative functions to ensure proper accountability in public sector, a view that was corroborated by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal represented by Deputy Leader of the House, Leo Ogor, who delivered the opening address.
Chairman of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), who appeared before the committee, gave a brief narrative of the relationship between the EFCC and NDLEA.
He said that from 2006 till date, the agency has handed over a total of 70 cases involving money laundering to the commission to investigate, with over $2 million (genuine dollars) and $7 million (fake) involved in the transactions.
Kunle Lasisi, who works for the firm that audited the EFCC in 2011, explained that based on the scope of his work, the commission kept proper books of account.
Questioned many times on why he did not audit the recovery accounts of the commission, Lasisi insisted that they only worked within the scope of their mandate, which covered only funds appropriated by the National Assembly.
