Justice Mohammed Idris granted the order following the hearing of an argument in the court of an ex-parte motion brought by SERAP counsel Mrs Joke Fekumo.
The suit number FHC/L/CS/1821/2017 was filed last year by SERAP who claimed it recieved credible information from multiple sources that the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have completed investigations into the allegations of padding of the 2016 budget, completed their reports, and indicted some principal officers of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and that the accounts of some of the principal officers containing allegedly illicit funds have been frozen, and that the case files for the prosecution of those indicted were ready.
The suit read in part: “Unless the principal officers indicted in the alleged padding of the 2016 budget are prosecuted and any stolen public funds recovered, the Federal Government will not be able to stop padding of future budgets.
Alleged corruption in the budget process will not just melt away or simply evaporate without addressing the fundamental issue of impunity of perpetrators.”
According to the Executive Director of SERAP, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the decision also grants permission to SERAP to compel the Federal Government to closely monitor and scrutinize the spending of N131 billion (accrued from increased oil benchmark) allocated for additional non-constituency projects expenditure, to remove the possibility of corruption.
“Addressing alleged corruption in the budget process by pursuing prosecution of indicted principal officers of the National Assembly will provide an important opportunity for the Federal Government to reignite the fight against corruption and fulfil a cardinal campaign promise, to show that the Federal Government works on behalf of the many, and not the few, as well as jumpstart economic activities and break the back of the recession,” Mumuni said.
“Publishing the report of the investigation of the alleged padding of the 2016 budget, and prosecuting suspected perpetrators are absolutely important to avoid another padding, which the Federal Government can ill afford.”
“Corruption in the budget process takes away and erodes much-needed resources for public and developmental purposes. The level of secrecy surrounding the budget process in the National Assembly has invariably created a breeding place for alleged corruption.
“Deception in the budget process will continue unless Nigerians are granted access to inspect the budget process and other activities by the National Assembly.
SERAP strongly believes that Nigerians have the right to know what their lawmakers are doing so that they are able to appraise their work and hold them to account.”
“The allegations of the crime of budget padding against the indicted principal officers of the National Assembly is a gross deprivation of the good people of Nigeria’s legitimate wealth and natural resources,” he said.
Further hearing in the suit has been adjourned till January 26.
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