Barrister Sullivan Chime |
May
we know why you petitioned the EFCC?
I petitioned
the EFCC when I observed what was going on in the state under former Governor, Barrister Sullivan Chime. I was still
carrying out my investigation when the House of Assembly under Speaker, Hon. Eugene Odo, came out with a
proposal to impeach him listing some impeachable offences including
alleged forgery of the supplementary budget. I heard the ex-governor in the
media where he was trying to put up a defense without knowing he was admitting
it. He said that what he did to the budget was to change some figures from one
sector to the other, but when you do that to such a document, forgery can be
alleged. When the budget is signed, not even a coma can be touched; to do that,
you must go back to the Assembly.
That was
where I took it up in addition to other things I discovered; the other things I
discovered include that, at that time, he was hurriedly putting finishing
touches to M-Line, which was the official quarter of the Attorney-General of
the state. When he became Attorney-General, in his characteristic manner, he
believed he will be the last person to hold that position in the state; that is
why he decided to seek for the monetization of the place. So when he applied
for the monetization under ex- Governor Chimaroke
Nnamani, it was given to him but he was unable to pay. So when he became
governor, he was said to have allocated the place to himself and further
acquired other land in that place and expanded it.
So
what happened to the petition you wrote to the EFCC?
I made it
known to the public, in 2008, when I believed he was after me and even declared
me wanted. So when I petitioned the EFCC, he employed the same tactics he used
in 2008; he chased me with the Attorney-General and the police; they called me
on phone asking me to come to the state CID over a petition but they
refused to disclose the petitioner. I wrote and copied everybody that mattered
that he was after me again. I also went to court and, luckily, the court gave
an order restraining the police from harassing me and that was why I could move
freely.
When I found
out that the EFCC was not forthcoming, I filed an application for judicial
review, asking the court to mandate the EFCC, the Code of Conduct Bureau,
Revenue Mobilization Commission, Accountant General of Enugu, to do their
duties because I made a request to that effect and nothing had happened. I
first of all sought leave of the court which was granted on July 2, 2015 and I
have filed the substantive application. But what is holding the matter now is
that the court is on vacation because that order for leave attached to the
motion, which I must serve on all the parties, was yet to be signed by the
judge before he went on vacation. So I am waiting for the judge; once he
returns from vacation, it will be signed, then I will serve them and the matter
will commence.
The EFCC
invited me and, for two hours, I was able to x-ray most of the things I am
telling you now. So the EFCC assured me they would do something but, up
till now, I have not seen him invited when other governors are being
questioned. That’s the dilemma we are in now but my suit will take care of
everything.
But
some people believe that the governor did well and that you may be on a
vendetta mission?
I am not
pursuing this matter to witch hunt; I am doing this because it is incumbent on
anyone who is serving the public to render account of his stewardship. I have
served. The only thing is that I have never been a governor. I was a local
government Chairman in 1997 before Sullivan could think of becoming anything. I
am a founding member of the PDP and I served in the highest echelon of the
party, I was a National Auditor. I cannot keep quiet seeing things going wrong
in the party. These are part of the things that made our party to lose election.
When you see
somebody doing bad you must expose that person. On all these things I am
saying, let Sullivan come out and say I am telling lies. Then we will start
from there. Anybody who has served the public should be willing to give account
of his stewardship. Look at the situation of Enugu, a debt of over N68bn
and the governor is grappling to meet up with financial obligations of the
state. Is that how a governor should hand over? Anyone saying it is witch
hunting is not even helping the state because we cannot allow such a thing to
happen and we shut our mouth.
So
what do you want to achieve? Send him to jail?
No, going to
jail is not for me to decide; and that is why I added the Attorney General as a
party to that suit; and one of the reliefs is for the court to direct the
Attorney General to give me a fiat, written authority to prosecute Sullivan
Chime if, at the end of the day, the EFCC is reluctant or refuse to prosecute
him. As a lawyer, I have the right to a fiat. Court orders it. They must give
me a fiat and you see me prosecuting him. So, it’s not my duty to determine if
he will go to jail; my duty is to present. I am not persecuting, I am
prosecuting; I am not going back on this. I will see it to the end for others
to learn a lesson. (Source: Vanguard)
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