Eight cases involving some politically exposed people have been transferred to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) courtesy of the Special Presidential Investigative Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP) for further investigation and possible prosecution.

SPIP chairman Okoi Obono-Obla said yesterday that the panel discovered that the individuals acquired properties beyond their legitimate earnings.

Besides they allegedly suppressed facts concerning these properties in their assets declaration forms deposited with the CCB.

Obono-Obla identified those involved to include former Senate President David Mark; Senator Stella Oduah; Senator Hope Uzodinma; Senator Peter Nwaoboshi; Senator Albert Bassey and a director in the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Ibrahim Musa Tumsah.

The SPIP had before now filed charges, before the Federal High Court, Abuja against most of those named in the cases transferred to the CCB on the same issue of non-assets declaration.

Mark has a suit pending before the Federal High Court, Abuja in which he is challenging the activities of the panel, particularly the SPIP’s claim that he unlawfully acquired his property in Abuja.

The charge the panel filed against Senator Oduah was assigned to Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, but no further steps have been taken by the panel since it filed the charge last year.

The charge against Sen. Uzodimna is before Justice Okon Abang. But the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) recently took over the prosecution of the case from the SPIP.

The charge against Sen. Bassey is before Justice John Tsoho.

Tumsah was, last year, arraigned along with his brother before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja on the same charge of non-declaration of assets.

They successfully challenged the charge and the seizure of the assets by the SPIP, up to the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal held, in the case by Tumsah, that the SPIP lacked prosecutory powers, but that it could only investigate and submit its findings to the President.

Also, in his judgment on February 25, Justice Ekwo dismissed the charge the SPIP filed against the Tumsah brothers, relying on the Court of Appeal judgment, which the SPIP said it had appealed.

Many of those named in the cases have argued that the SPIP lacks the powers to initiate charges against them, citing the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the Tumsah case.

•Text (excluding headline) courtesy of The Nation.

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