Oyo-born Ex-Accountant General, Otunla, OFR, Refunds N6.3b To FG To Avoid Prosecution
A former Accountant-General of the Federation (AGoF), Jonah Ogunniyi Otunla OFR, has refunded N6.3 billion to the coffers of the Federal Government to avoid being prosecuted
Otunla was the Accountant-General of the Federation between 2011 and 2015. He returned N6,392,000,000.00.
Details of the deals leading to the refunds are contained in documents Otunla filed in court to back up the suits they instituted against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
In the suits, he queried the decision of the anti-graft agencies to insist on prosecuting them on corruption charges after they were told to make refunds in lieu of prosecution.
Otunla claimed that the former acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, promised him that he would not be prosecuted, should he return funds traced to him, companies linked to him, and his associates.
He stated that sometime in 2015, he was invited by a team of EFCC investigators, probing alleged diversion of funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) pension funds.
Otunla said he met with Magu in the course of the investigation, when the then acting EFCC chair told him to “refund the monies linked to your companies and nobody will prosecute you.”
He said based on Magu’s promise, he had a reconciliatory meeting with the investigator, where he immediately undertook to make available some funds as refunds.
In line with the agreement, Otunla said one of the companies linked to him – Stellar Vera Development Ltd – refunded N750m; another company – Damaris Mode Coolture Ltd – refunded N550m, while the two firms later made additional joint refund of N2,150,000,000.00.
He added that, at a point, he raised several bank cheques for N10m in favour of the EFCC which he handed to its Economic Governance Section.
Otunla said in all he made a refund of N6,392,000,000.00 to the Federation Account through the EFCC.
He is praying the court, in the suit he filed against the EFCC, to, among others, hold that in view of the assurance given to him by Magu, which informed his refund of the money, he could no longer be prosecuted for his actions while in office.
Comments 9
God will punish all of you in Jesus name. Thieves
Since he has refunded money please pardon him and warn him not to do that again. After all one ex Governor did worse than this and he is riding horse about now.
The title of the story in not in sync with the details. One wonder how the state of origin of the litigant is relevant in any particular way. Presentation of the story does not follow the prisms of precision in journalistic jurispondence.
Is this a plea bargain. A legal means of getting justice with minimal cost and inconvenience to all parties. Or a deceptive action, cruel it may seem, but a means of getting self admission of guilt. Perhaps not morally right for the defence but then the court will equitably judge
Where is the money now? Thiese elites are copiusly wicked. For anybody above 50 years what does he wants to do with a billion? All the loots of Abacha are no longer traceable. Until our institutions is more powerful than individuals and group, there is no end in sight
There appears to be no written memorandum in respect of the ‘arrangement’ with AIG Magu to refund cash stolen while in office. Mr. Otunla would struggle to ask the Court to enforce strict performance of an unwritten agreement.
Equity May avail him that the ends of justice will not be served if he is tried now to recover funds already repaid.
Good decision for others to emulate though it was belated
EFCC should still arrest him. He must have embezzled much more than that.
This is why Corruption will keep on getting worse when a highly placed FG official returned ₦6B plus and they refused to prosecute him. He has already committed high crimes by stealing what doesn’t belong to him and you are letting him to avoid prosecution cos he returned some money eh? For him to return that kind of money it means he has stashed away ten times of that which he will enjoy for the rest of his life. Thier decision to let him off the hook means they are all evil, satanic, corrupt and God will punish all of them.