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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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ICPC thwarts plans to defraud M-Tel N150m ATTEMPTS by some M-Tel workers to defraud the company of N150 million under the pretext of paying a consultant abroad have been thwarted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Also, the ICPC disclosed yesterday that it has arraigned 76 individuals before the courts in various parts of the country while 12 other cases have been concluded. The chairman of the commission, Justice Mustapha Akanbi (retd), who disclosed this to the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption at a quarterly briefing of its commission activities, said ICPC has been handicapped by lack of funds. Akanbi noted that rather than improve on the budgetary provision of the yearly N500 million the amount was slashed to N487 million in the 2004 Appropriation. To compound the commission�s problem, he said, money were being released to the commission on monthly basis instead of the quarterly release being made to other agencies. The ICPC boss, however, stressed that despite the poor funding, the commission has made appreciable progress, adding that about 92 anti-corruption units have been established in various Federal Ministries and Parastatals. Besides, he disclosed that some big fish are being investigated by ICPC including permanent secretaries, Judges and even a federal lawmaker. Akanbi also disclosed that the commission will be opening the Lagos and Kaduna state branch next month adding that others like Enugu, will come later. He lamented that despite the provisions in the ICPC Act that mandated it to establish states branches as well as zonal branches, the commission has been hamstrung by paucity of funds. Meanwhile the chairman of the Anti-Corruption Committee, Mr Udneses Essien said that the committee made a strong case to the Executive to improve the funds being allocated to ICPC stressing that, these call was not heeded. "It is better for the Federal Government to match it�s theoretical commitment against corruption with practices for it to be taken seriously", he said. He however urged the ICPC to use the limited resources at its disposal judiciously so as to justify increase funding.
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