JANUARY 23, 2012 BY FRIDAY OLOKOR AND OLUWOLE JOSIAH
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has summoned marketers of petroleum products to come forward with documentation and supporting evidence in respect of all transactions made in respect of subsidies on petrol and kerosene.
Although, details of their invitation were sketchy as at press time, a source in the commission told our correspondent on Sunday that the decision followed the order of the Federal Government to commence probe of all the deals in the petroleum sector.
The source said, “The petroleum products marketers have been invited by the EFCC to come forward with documentation in respect of all the transactions that were made concerning subsidies.
“Beginning from Monday (today) the marketers would be appearing before us. Their invitation is necessary to assist the commission in its investigation of the deals in the oil industry.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the invitation. He said, “Yes, the petroleum products marketers were invited” but did not give details.
The EFCC had last week stormed the office of the Petroleum Products and Pricing Regulatory Agency after President Goodluck Jonathan directed the anti-graft agency to begin the investigation of all payments made in respect of subsidies on petrol and kerosene.
“This also means that there will be a foreign leg to the investigation-we will determine which refinery brought those products to determine the veracity of those claims,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the Senate’s Joint Committee on the Investigation into the fuel subsidy scheme is to hold a session with some major oil marketers in the country on their participation in the payments on subsidy in 2011.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Magnus Abe, told journalists in Abuja that the meeting was in continuation of the investigation of the management of the fuel subsidy scheme by the Federal Government.
The joint committee is made up of the Committees on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Appropriation and Finance.
SOURCE: Punch Newspaper, 23 January 2012. http://www.punchontheweb.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment