Court grants SERAP approval to investigate FG’s spending of $460m Chinese loan
- A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) an order to probe government's spending of $460 million loan
- The loan is said to have been secured from China for the controversial Abuja CCTV project
- SERAP also wants to know the status of the project and how much the contractors have received
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has secured the approval of a Federal High Court, Abuja to probe how the government handled the $460 million loan the country obtained in 2010 from China.
The loan was said to have been secured for the implementation of the controversial Abuja CCTV project.
The Guardian said the court, presided over by Justice Anwuri Ichegbuo Chikere, granted SERAP the leave to force the minister of finance, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, to show details of payment of the loan to contractors.
The court also approved an investigation into whether N1.5 billion paid in 2010 for the failed contract to construct the headquarters of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) was part of another Chinese loan.
The report quoted Justice Chikere as saying: “After going through the application filed by SERAP supported by seven paragraphs affidavit, with supporting exhibits, statement of facts and verifying affidavits and written address in support, leave is hereby granted for SERAP to pursue its suit.”
SERAP had gone to court through its counsels, Atinuke Adejuyigbe and Opeyemi Owolabi asking for an order to compel Minister Ahmed to provide details of local companies and Chinese contractors which got paid from the $460 million loan for the finance of the failed Abuja CCTV project.
The organisation also wants details of the levels of implementation of the project.
The court is said to have adjourned to Monday, February 24, 2020, for hearing of the substantive suit.
Legit.ng earlier reported that SERAP recently gave all the 36 state governors in Nigeria seven days to disclose the payment made to all ex-governors from 1999 to 2019.
The group also urged governors to provide names and numbers of governors who are still receiving such pensions.
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Source: Legit.ng
