From Fred Itua, Abuja
The Senate, through its Committee on Public Accounts, has indicted Abubakar Malami-led Ministry of Justice for failure to show details on how N10.4 billion was disbursed to target beneficiaries.
The indictment was sequel to the consideration of the 2017 and 2018 report of the Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC).
The Committee ordered the ministry to stop further disbursement of the judgement debt and the committee responsible for the disbursement to be re-constituted and evidence forwarded to the Auditor-General and Senate Panel within 30 days.
In another development, the Senate has ordered eight universities to refund N4.7billion mismanaged by their management.
The schools are University of Ilorin, University of Abuja, University of Uyo, Federal University , Birim Kebbi, Federal University, Lafia, Federal University, Wukari, Modibo Adams University of Technology, Yola and Federal University of Petroleum, Effurun.
The Auditor-General reports for 2016 and 2017, indicted the seven universities which. The indictment was upheld by Senate Public Accounts Committee and also considered and approved by the Senate.
A breakdown showed the University of Abuja mismanaged of N1.3 billion in 2017; Federal University of Petroleum, N1.1 billion; University of Ilorin, N745 million; Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), N467 million; Federal University, Wukari, N43 million; Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina, N141million and Federal University, Lafia, N32 million.
The indictment has been considered and sustained by the Senate and would be forwarded to Secretary to Government of the Federation for further action.
On the judgement debt, the Auditor-General’s report stated that the committee saddled with the responsibility of managing the disbursement of judgement debt was dissolved in 2013.
It said as of the time when the N10.4 billion was disbursed by the Ministry of Justice in 2017, the committee had yet to be reconstituted.
The report stated that lack of control, as witnessed in the disbursement of the judgement debt, could lead to loss of public funds.
It recommended that the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice should immediately constitute the committee as required by law.
Judgement debt refers to money that a court of law orders the losing party to pay to the winning party. The parties in the case may either be an individual, a family, a company, an institution or a government.