Sanusi Refuses To Appear Before FRCN, Says Invitation Biased, Defamatory

On Thursday, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Lamido Sanusi refused to appear before the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria. He was supposed to explain certain aspects of his tenure between the years 2011 and 2012.

Reports of Mr. Sanusi's decision came together with the news that he had sued the FRCN for defaming his character.

Counsel to Mr. Sanusi and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kola Awodein, wrote a letter to the Executive Secretary of FRCN, Jim Obazee, listing the suspended Governor's reasons for declining the invitation. Namely, he noted that the invitation was not only in bad faith, but premeditated to embarrass and disparage his client.

Mr. Sanusi criticized the FRCN's recommendation for his suspension from office and added that the Council wanted to stop him from attacking the government using the information at his disposal.

Mr. Sanusi has previosly stressed he was not afraid of any objective investigation by an appropriate and impartial authority into either the activities of the CBN during his tenure, or his activities as a citizen. However, he had to decline the FRCN's investigation for reasons such as: bias, breach of the rules of natural justice, absence of statutory powers, violation of the rule of law, and the Council's attempt to carry out an investigation considered prejudicial to good public administration and the special position of the CBN.

It would be recalled that Mr. Sanusi has been suspended from office since late February 2014. President Goodluck Jonathan had ordered to suspend Mr. Sanusi following the FRCN's accusation of financial recklessness.

Source: Legit.ng