June 25, (THEWILL) – The immediate-past governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has initiated legal proceedings against the Kaduna State House of Assembly following claims that his administration allegedly misappropriated N432 billion.
El-Rufai, in a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed on Wednesday, before the Federal High Court in Kaduna, disputed the findings of the Kaduna Assembly Committee that accused him and his administration of the alleged misappropriation of funds.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly had in its probe report into the financial dealings of the El-Rufai administration, indicted the former governor and some senior members of his cabinet for alleged misappropriation of N423 billion meant as loans and contracts.
THEWILL recalls that the ad hoc committee set up by the Kaduna State Assembly to investigate all finances, loans and contracts awarded under the administration of El-Rufai had in its report submitted to the House on June 5, alleged that a total of N423 billion was siphoned by the administration while leaving the state with huge liabilities.
The Assembly had set up the ad hoc committee with the mandate to investigate loans, grants and projects implementation from 2015 to 2023 during which El-Rufai served as governor of Kaduna State.
Chairman of the committee, Henry Zacharia, who presented the report, had said most of the loans obtained under El-Rufai’s administration were not used for the purpose for which they were obtained, while in some cases, due process was not followed in securing the loans.
The committee had recommended the investigation and prosecution of El-Rufai and some other indicted members of his cabinet by security and anti-corruption agencies for “abuse of office through the award of contracts without due process, diversion of public funds and money laundering as well as plaguing Kaduna State into heavy debt”.
While the former governor was physically in court on Wednesday, the legal action was initiated by his lawyer Abdulhakeem Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
THEWILL reports that El-Rufai is seeking the action of the court to declare the probe report “null and void”, having not been given the opportunity of a fair hearing over the allegations levelled against him and his administration by the committee.
Joined in the suit as respondents are the Kaduna State House of Assembly and State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice.
