N22bn Abia Paris Club Refund: Assembly Sets Up Committee For Investigation

The speaker of the House, Rt. Hon Chinedum Orji announced this during a plenary on Monday, June 28, after the House received a petition from a law firm on the same issue.

The petition was from the law firm of Ndukwe Iheanyi and co, titled "petition on Paris fund Refund and urgent need to investigate the allegation raised by one Obinna Oriaku, a former Commissioner for financeÔÇØ.

The firm who wrote on behalf of their client Anthonia, charged the House to investigate the alleged award of contract to two contractors and mismanagement of fund.

They noted in the petition that Obinna Oriaku did not give good explanation, having raised weighty issues, hence the need for the House to investigate the matter urgently.

The petitioners charged the House to investigate the allegation that the Abia state government awarded contract to two consultancy firms, find out how much they charged and how much they were actually paid.

They also urged the House to investigate the engagement procedure of the consultancy firms by the government;

To review the publication trending on social media by Obinna Oriaku to ascertain the validity or otherwise of the allegations.

And also investigate the activities of Obinna Oriaku as a commissioner of finance between 2016, and 2019 with particular attention to his involvement in the Paris fund refund.

Reacting, Rt. Honourable, Chinedum Orji said that the House will carry out an investigation on the matter because of its weightiness.

The speaker appointed an AdHoc Committee on the matter comprising of Honorable Barrister Emeka Okorafor, member representing Isuikwuato constituency, Honorable Chijioke Okechukwu member representing Bende North, Honorable Obinna Ichita, Aba south state constituency, Honorable Abraham Oba, representing Aba sector and Reverend Emeka Otumchere (secretary).

The speaker announced the indefinite suspension of the proposed recess for the House members, adding that the AdHoc committee set for investigations into the alleged misappropriation of the Paris refund, has one week to report back to the House on its investigations and findings.

Obinna Oriaku had alleged that the immediate past government of Abia State, contracted two separate consultancy firms for the Paris Club fund refund .

The then government allegedly negotiated to pay 30% and 20% respectively of the N22 billion Paris refund which amount to N11 billion of the fund as against other states who negotiated between 3% and 5% with the same company Muriz Walton.