Former Accountant-General of the Federation, Jonah Otunla, has agreed to refund the sum of 6.2 billion naira to the coffers of the Federal Government, in order to avoid being prosecuted for looting the treasury.
Otunla was the Accountant-General of the Federation between 2011 and 2015. According to reports, he refunded the sum of N6, 392, 000, 000.
Details of the deal begin that led to the refund of the amount was contained in a document he filed in court to back up the suits he instituted against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent and Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
In the suit, Otunla queried the decision of the anti-graft agencies to assist in prosecuting him on corruption charges after he was told to make refunds in lieu of prosecution. Otunla claimed that the former acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, promised him that he will not be prosecuted should be refund funds traced to him, companies linked to him and his associates.
He stated that sometime in 2015, he was invited by a team of EFCC investigators probing the alleged diversion of 2 billion naira allegedly received from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and N24 billion meant for disengage top of the defunct power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) pension funds.
Otunla said he met with Magu in the course of the investigation, when the then acting EFCC Chairman made him that promise. According to him, based on Magu’s promise, he had a reconciliatory meeting with the investigator, where he undertook to make available some funds as refunds.
In line with the agreement, Otunla said one of the companies linked to him, Stella Vera Development Ltd refunded N750 million, another company, Damaris Mode Coolture Ltd refunded N550 million, while the two firms later made additional joint refunds of N 2, 150, 000, 000.
He added that, at one point, he raised several bank checks for the sum of N10 million in favour of the EFCC, which he said he handed over to its Economic Governance Section. Otunla said, in total, he made a refund of N6, 392, 000, 000 to the Federation Account through the EFCC.
In the suit he filed against the EFCC, the ex-Accountant-Generally is praying the court to, amongst others, hold that in view of the assurances given to him by Magu, which informed his refund of the money, he could no longer be prosecuted for his actions while in office.
