The distribution of N10.4 billion in judgment debt settlement to beneficiaries has led to an indictment of the office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
This is because his Ministry was unable to provide the account to the Senate Committee on Public Accounts in a clear and concise manner.
The accusation came after the Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC), which is led by Senator Mathew Uhroghide, had looked over its 2017 and 2018 reports.
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The Committee has instructed the Ministry of Justice to halt all further Judgement debt disbursements as a result of the development.
Additionally, it mandated that the Justice Ministry’s Committee on Settlement be recreated within 30 days.
In a related development, the Senate also mandated the refund of N4.7 billion that was allegedly mismanaged to the Federal University of Petroleum, Effurun, Modibo Adams University of Technology, Yola, University of Ilorin, University of Abuja, University of Uyo, Federal University of Birim Kebbi, Federal University of Lafia, and Federal University of Wukari.
The Senate Public Accounts Committee affirmed the findings of the Auditor General’s reports from 2016 and 2017 that implicated the seven universities. The Senate also gave it its consideration before approving it.
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The breakdown showed that University of Abuja mismanaged total of N1.3 billion in 2017, Federal University of Petroleum mismanaged N1.1 billion, University of Ilorin mismanaged N745 million, Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), N467 million, Federal University, Wukari, N43 million, Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina – N141 million, Federal University, Lafia – N32 million.
The Senate has reviewed and upheld the indictment, and now it will be sent to the Secretary of the Government of the Federation for further action.
The committee charged with overseeing the allocation of judgment debt was disbanded in 2013, according to the Auditor-General Anthony Ayine’s report on judgment debt.
It stated that the Committee had not yet been reconstituted as of the time the N10.4 billion was paid out by the Ministry of Justice in 2017.
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According to the report, a lack of oversight, as shown in the payment of the judgment debt, could result in the loss of public funds.
Ayine proposed in the report that the committee be immediately formed in accordance with the law’s requirements by the Federation’s Solicitor-General and the Ministry of Justice’s permanent secretary.
The report reads in part, “Examination of the budget of the Federal Ministry of Justice revealed that the sum of N460.95m was appropriated for payment of judgment debts for 2016 and N10bn appropriated for 2017, totalling N10.46bn.
“Further examination revealed that the committee saddled with the responsibility of managing the fund was dissolved after the 2013 financial year and is yet to be reconstituted after the 2016 and 2017 appropriations.
“However, the ministry has been disbursing this sum without a committee in place. Lack of control could lead to loss of public funds.”
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Money that a court of law requires the losing party to pay to the winning party is referred to as judgment debt.
The parties to the dispute could be a person, a family, a business, an institution, or the government.
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