[UncleTisha]

THISDAY - 08 SEPT 2006

While Vice President Atiku Abubakar maintains his innocence on the EFCC report, THISDAY checks reveal that the five-man administrative panel, set up by President Olusegun Obasanjo actually indicted him.

The panel, headed by the Attorney General and Justice Minister, Mr. Bayo Ojo, had as members, FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Education Minister, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili, Minister of State for Water Resources, Mr. Dada and the National Security Adviser, Major General Sarki Muktar.

A copy of the report, available to THISDAY went into details on the activities of all the principal characters with the following conclusion on Atiku:

"The VP supervised the PTDF among other agencies. He admitted he authorised the placements as deposits in the banks based on the satisfactory reasons given by the Executive Secretary PTDF.

"He admitted ES-PTDF forwarded requests for release of funds to him and he would decide which was necessary to be sent to Mr. President for approval. On the $50m approval/placement, he claimed he could not remember if he was involved or not.

"Having carefully perused the report of the EFCC, interviewed and had interactive sessions with all those listed at page 5 above and gone through the various documents provided, the following are our findings and recommendations:

"We are of the view that His Excellency, Vice President Atiku Abubakar (hereinafter referred to as the VP) abused his office and position by diverting funds approved for the PTDF operations to placements in ETB and TIB Plc, instead of implementing the projects budgeted for. The funds were deposited in the two banks at below-market rates over a period of time.

"Indeed, the projects are only being approved for implementation in 2006 which raises the question why the funds were withdrawn from the Treasury in the first place, so many years ago.

It is the view of the Panel that these actions benefited private business interests and those of the VPs friends and associates like Otunba Fasawe and Chief Mike Adenuga rather than the public interest of accelerated implementation of the projects.

"We also find that the VP's action in unilaterally approving the disbursement of the sum of $20m (without the approval of the President and the Federal Executive Council as was done for the initial $125m), violated the constitution and amounted to conduct unbecoming of the VP's high office.

"We view the VP's explanation to the Panel that he thought the President and FEC's global approval of the sum of $125m covered him on this subsequent approval as untenable.

"On the basis of the findings above, the VP should be indicted and held accountable for the various acts of embezzlement and fraud that took place in PTDF with his approval and under his supervision.

"In view of the VP's constitutional immunity, the matter should be referred to the Code of Conduct Bureau for necessary action."