I did not steal N14.1m, perm sec, Federal Ministry of Labour tells court

EMBATTLED Permanent Secretary, to the Federal Ministry of Labour, Clement Illoh, on Wednesday denied that he stole N14.1 million from the defunct Federal Government’s Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).

TribuneOnline recalls that Illoh is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the alleged theft, charges he had pleaded not guilty to when he was arraigned.

At the resumption of trial before an Ikeja Special Offences Court, Illoh maintained that N3. 5m part of the money was still in the account it was paid to.

“I did not steal the said sum neither did I divert the money to one Theresa Braimoh.

“The money was approved by NIMASA and it was meant for a meeting between NIMASA and the Federal Ministry of Labour.

“Even the N14m budgeted for the meeting was not enough. We asked for N30m but only N14m was approved.

“The money was split into two for both parties; for the Lagos and Abuja offices, ” Illoh told the court during his testimony.

ALSO READ: Fayemi names wife, 36 others inauguration committee members

The Permanent secretary further went on to explain that the money was not paid into the Ministry’s account, adding that it was paid into an account bearing the name Illoh and Bob Associates.

“The money was not paid into the Ministry’s account because it was not in the annual budget . We wouldn’t have been able to access the money in the Ministry’s account, due to the cashless policy on ground.

“N3. 5m was expended on logistics, transport, stationaries and honorarium. The Maritime Labour department did all the costing and all the details was handled by my special assistant, John Tsanwa who sadly is dead, ” Illoh told the court.

Illoh’s counsel, U. Nwakwe thereafter asked for an adjournment on the grounds that he needed to access some documents which were vital to the case.

The presiding Judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo thereafter adjourned the matter till October 25 for continuation of trial.

Illoh was arraigned on by the anti-graft agency on a three-count charge bordering on stealing by conversion of property to the tune of N14.1 million.

It was allegedly sourced from the from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).