Okonjo-Iweala Takes Legal Action Against SERAP

-

The court concurred with the contention of Olukayode Majekodunmi, SERAP's Deputy Director, that the former minister should have provided the information requested by SERAP or issue a denial of the allegation within seven days of the receipt of the request from SERAP. 


The judgment was delivered last week by Justice Ibrahim Buba in a Freedom of Information suit filed before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos by SERAP.
"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," said Mr. Nwabiukwu.

He maintained that the court processes must have been served on other people, claiming that the former minister's attention was never drawn to the matter in which she was sued personally, the reason for which she did not have a lawyer to defend her in the matter.

Mr. Nwabiukwu said SERAP's suit was based on unsubstantiated allegations made by Professor Charles Soludo, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He said the missing sum on which the suit was based was about seven times the total annual budget during the Jonathan administration. This, he alleged, confirms SERAP’s position as a tool in the hands of 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."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

'i am not ashamed of menstruating' Singer Fantana Respond to Flashing her sanitary Pad on stage

-
Image
Following the backlash that trailed her performance at Shatta Wale's Reign Concert over the weekend, Ghanaian singer,  Fantana  has now released a statement.  The singer stated that she is not ashamed of being a woman and also mesntruating. Her statement read in part;  "Regardless of my costume being transparent, my only option was to put on a sanitary pad and still go ahead to perform. I am a woman and I’m not ashamed of menstruating. "I want to urge every woman to resist being discriminated against because of menstruation. I hope some people read wide and learn about menstrual health to stop the stereotype against young girls and women. "Yes my menses appeared 30 minutes to my performance and I had to put on a sanitary pad and still go on stage. "Menstruation is not a shame and I urge all young women take a cue from my actions and not to let it stop them from doing anything they want to do."
read more..

EFCC Officials Forcefully Break Into An Expectant Woman's House at 3am

-
Image
An expectant father has accused EFCC officials of breaking into his home in the middle of the night to conduct a search without a warrant. The man said he was at his home in Olokuta, Kemta, in Idi-Aba, Abeokuta between 3 am to 5 am, when some men forcefully broke into his house using a hammer.  He added that he was afraid they were armed robbers, so he hid in the guest bedroom with his pregnant wife as the men broke in through the sitting room window. According to him, the intruders claimed to be EFCC officials looking for "Yahoo boys", but they had no form of identification, neither did they have a search warrant.  Even without a search warrant, the victim alleged that they searched his house, damaged things, then left without as much as an apology. Photos shared with LIB shows that the lock on the gate leading into the compound was broken. They also used force on the burglary proof, thereby causing a dent to it. A door leadi...
read more..