The Senate is investigating the Director-General Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, alleged payment of N19 billion to four agencies without the approval of Minister of Finance, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed.
This is even as he failed to appear on Tuesday before the Senate Public Accounts Committee probing the allegation.
Akabueze was said to paid the monies through verbal directives in 2015.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on May 27, 2020, extended Akabueze’s tenure as DG Budget Office.
The Senate Panel hinged its Investigation on the 2016 Auditor General’s Report, which is currently being considered by the Committee led by Senator Matthew Urhoghide.
The budget Office was listed as number one on the list of the agencies expected to respond to the Auditor General’s query, but failed to appear before the legislators.
In the 2016 report, the Auditor-General of the Federal had posited, that ” Four MDAs were paid the sum of N19 billion from the service wide vote without the approval of the Minister of Finance
“This Act is against Financial Regulations 301 and 302 which state that ” recurrent expenditure is paid from CRF and no expenditure may be incured except on the authority of a warrant issued by the Minister of Finance.
“The Director General should provide evidence of approval from the Ministry of Finance for these expenditures or recover the sum of N19 billion from benefiting MDAs,” the report said.
However, in its written response to the Auditor General of the Federation’s Query, the Budget Office said, “the details of MDAs under the reference have not been provided to enable us respond appropriately.”
