With conflicting claims by the Speaker of the House of Reps and his top men that the anti-corruption agencies lack powers to try them for padding the budget, it has emerged that the Federal Government has already settled on how to deal with any of them found wanted.
Federal Government has unleashed its agents to shop for credible evidence of criminal adulteration of the budget that would make it difficult for any of the key suspects to escape prosecution.
It was reliably gathered by Vanguard that the recent move by the EFCC to painstakingly scrutinise major contracts so far awarded by the Dogara-led House, was to establish whether public funds have been illegally funneled back to him and his allies as alleged by Hon. Abdulmumuni Jibrin.
While EFCC probes the accounts of the House, the Amodu Ali-led Special Investigation Panel raised by the Police High Command, had gone far in crosschecking the claims made by Jibin against the Dogara faction with a view to recommending punishment against the culprits.
Under the plan obtained by Vanguard, Federal Government is to promptly charge the major suspects to court as it did to the Senate President when he was accused of not properly declaring his assets.
“It is true they will give Dogara the Saraki treatment especially for telling the world that padding is legal within the Nigerian law and that nobody can try him for the offence,” a source confirmed.
According to the source, the government would not join issues with Dogara and any of the officers of the NASS over budget padding but would ‘unfailingly and promptly’ act on the outcome of the police report on the matter once it is ready.
“It is the court that will determine if it is right for anyone to insert a project that was not contemplated by the Executive that has the right to propose budget and move the money to certain agency of government with a view to drawing it for personal gain.”
The latest development came as Dogara tried to deny his earlier claim that padding was allowed by and that he could not be tried by any of the anti-corruption agencies.