‘Missing N30trn’ suit, politically motivated, says Okonjo-Iweala

Former Coordinating Minister for the Economy in former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has denied knowledge of any court case asking her to account for an alleged missing N30 trillion.

The former finance minister described the case in a Lagos court  as “dubious” and “politically motivated.”

Last week, a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos asked Okonjo-Iweala and former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to offer explanation on the alleged missing funds in a suit filed by the Socio-Economic Right Accountability Project (SERAP). 

But, Okonjo-Iweala, through her media aide, Paul Nwabuikwu, said she had not been served with the court judgment but added that she had instructed her lawyers to take legal action on the matter.

“The High Court, according to media reports, ordered the Federal Government and Okonjo-Iweala to provide information relating to N30 trillion allegedly unaccounted for.

“Okonjo-Iweala hastens to state that she was never served with any court processes in relation to the said matter. She has not read the judgment and would, therefore, defer any comments on the matter. However, from the media reports, the case was instituted in February 2015 but was not served until July 2015 after Okonjo-Iweala had already ceased to be the minister of finance.

“By the date the said papers were purportedly served, Okonjo-Iweala was no longer a public officer and could, therefore, not be the subject of a request for production of any documents or information under the Freedom of Information Act.

“The court processes must have been served on others because the attention of Okonjo-Iweala was never drawn to the matter in which she appears to have been sued personally. She, therefore, did not engage any lawyer to act for her in the matter…”

“The decision of SERAP to anchor its case on a baseless and unsubstantiated allegation by former CBN governor, Charles Soludo that N30 trillion – about seven times the total annual budget during the Jonathan administration – is missing confirms SERAP’s dubious motives and its role as a tool for politically motivated actors.

“It is curious that the first time  Okonjo-Iweala is being made aware of a matter filed against her in court is in news reports, reporting the delivery of judgment. She has instructed her lawyers to take steps to set aside the judgment as it affects her.‎”