SERAP drags Buhari to court over ‘missing’ N3.1bn in Finance Ministry

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a case against President Muhammadu Buhari over reports that N3.1 billion is missing from the Ministry of Finance.

SERAP accused the Nigerian leader of failing to ensure the prosecution of those suspected to be responsible.

The lawsuit followed the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2018 and 2019 audited reports.

In the suit, with number FHC/L/CS/148/22, filed Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos, SERAP is seeking an order to compel action from the president.

The unaccounted public funds breach the country’s anti-corruption laws and international obligations including under the United Nations (UN) Convention, SERAP said.

The respondents are Abubakar Malami (SAN), Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation and Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

SERAP’s lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Adelanke say the authorities must take appropriate measures to promote transparency and accountability in the management of public finances.

Citing the Auditor-General’s report for 2018, the body said the Ministry of Finance spent N24,708,090 on pre-retirement training without any document.

The consultant hired allegedly failed to quote any price as the cost of the training but the Ministry paid him N5,670,060.

The request for payment was dated 20 January 2017 while the first payment voucher in his favour was dated 13 January 2017 (7 days before request).

The Ministry allegedly failed to account for N2,885,772,493 released from the Service Wide Vote for estacodes and other allowances for meetings and contribution to Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The Ministry allegedly awarded a contract on 17 May 2017 for N98,540,500 without any document, contrary to the Public Procurement Act. The project was not also budgeted for.

The Ministry is accused of deducting N9,354,809 as Withholding Tax and Value Added Tax without any evidence of remittance.

“The Ministry also reportedly spent N98,759,299.20 between January–December 2017 without any document, contrary to Financial Regulation 601.

“According to the 2019 report of the Auditor-General, the Ministry paid N20,466,744.00 as cash advances to ‘You-Win’ staff between 8 February and 18 December 2018 but the Ministry has failed to retire the money.”

SERAP lamented that the government lost N2,046,674 which would have accrued as taxes had these jobs been undertaken through the award of contracts.

The Ministry also allegedly paid N15,471,850 to two consultants for capacity building in Kano and Adamawa States without any supporting document, contrary to paragraph 603 (1) of the Financial Regulations.