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Missing N30trn: Okonjo-Iweala takes legal action

Former Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-
Iweala has said that she was never served
any court processes in relation to the the
allegation by former CBN governor Professor
Charles Soludo that N30 trillion was missing
during the past administration.
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had in
a judgment ordered former Minister of
Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the
Federal Government to “provide information
on the spending of the alleged missing N30
trillion which represents some accruable
income to the Federal Government during the
last four years of the Administration of former
President Goodluck Jonathan"
But a statement signed by Paul C Nwabuikwu,
her Media Adviser said that she has
instructed her lawyers to take steps to set
aside the judgment as it affects her.
“MISSING” N30 TRILLION: OKONJO-IWEALA
REBUTS SERAP, TAKES LEGAL ACTION
Our attention has been drawn to media
reports regarding a court judgment alleged to
have been entered against the Federal
Government of Nigeria and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-
Iweala in respect of an action by the Socio-
Economic Rights Agenda (SERAP) pursuant to
the Freedom of Information Act.
The High Court, according to the media
reports, ordered the Federal government and
Dr. Okonjo Iweala to provide information
relating to N30 trillion Naira allegedly
unaccounted for.
Please note the following:
·Dr Okonjo-Iweala hastens to state that she
was never served with any court processes in
relation to the said matter. She has not read
the judgment and would therefore defer any
comments on the matter.
·However from the media reports, the case
was instituted in February 2015 but was not
served until July 2015 after Dr Okonjo-Iweala
had already ceased to be the Minister of
Finance.
·By the date the said papers were purportedly
served Dr Okonjo-Iweala was no longer a
public officer and could therefore not be the
subject of a request for production of any
documents or information under the Freedom
of information Act.
·The Court processes must have been served
on others because the attention of Dr Okonjo-
Iweala was never drawn to the matter in which
she appears to have been sued personally.
She therefore did not engage any lawyer to
act for her in the matter.
·The decision of SERAP to anchor its case on
a baseless and unsubstantiated allegation by
former CBN governor Professor Charles
Soludo that N30 trillion – about seven times
the total annual budget during the Jonathan
administration – is missing confirms SERAP’s
dubious motives and its role as a tool for
politically motivated actors.
·It is curious that the first time Dr Okonjo-
Iweala is being made aware of a matter filed
against her in court is in news reports
reporting the delivery of judgment. She has
instructed her lawyers to take steps to set
aside the judgment as it affects her.

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