Paris Club loan: SERAP gets court order asking AGF to publish how N388.304bn was spent

FOLLOWING a court suit in which a human rights advocacy group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) is asking Federal Government to reveal the spending of the London- Paris Loan fund, SERAP in a statement on Wednesday said it has secured the leave of court to apply for a mandamus order to compel the Account General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, to publish the details of how the N388.304 billion loan refunds was spent.

It would be recalled that SERAP filed a suit marked, FCH/CS/523/17 before the Federal High Court in Lagos, alleging that the money was diverted and mismanaged by 35 state governments.

According to the Deputy Director of SERAP, Timothy Adewale, Justice Muslim Hassan last Friday gave it the leave to apply for a mandamus order against the Accountant General of the Federation to publish the details of how the N388.304 billion was spent.

According to the statement, the Judge granted the leave after entertaining argument from SERAP’s counsel, Ms Bamisope Ibidolapo, who took an ex parte application before him.

He adjourned hearing on the motion on notice till September 14, 2017, for the Accountant-General of the Federation to show cause why he should not be compelled to publish the details of the projects on which the London-Paris Club loan refunds were spent.

In the suit, SERAP is praying the court to, through a mandamus order, compel the Accountant General to compile and pass information on the spending of the N388.304 billion to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN).

The group wants the AGF to, upon receiving the information from the AGF, take legal action against the state governments which allegedly diverted the funds.

SERAP wants the states suspected to have diverted the money to widely publish the details of how the funds were spent, including on a dedicated website.

Adewale argued that the alleged diversion of the N388.304billion London-Paris Club loan refunds had undermined the human dignity of workers and pensioners facing difficult circumstances.

He argued that the alleged diversion had deprived workers and pensioners the capacity to fully realise their internationally recognised economic and social rights.