The House of Representatives Adhoc Committee on Abandoned Properties has called for immediate sale of seized properties by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC.
The chairman of the Adhoc committee Mr. Ademorin Kuye stated this in Abuja at the investigative hearing on sales of abandoned properties.
He said that as long as the EFCC kept the properties in its custody they would keep losing value and deteriorating, as such would not augur well for the country.
Mr. Kuye, said the government has indicated that part of the 2021 budget would be financed from sales of property, meaning that if these properties were kept without selling them, it would affect the budget.
“Recall the Federal Government had on Jan 15 said in addition to borrowing locally and internationally, it would sell some government-owned property to fund the 2021 budget.
The arrangement was contained in the public budget presentation made by the Finance Minister, Mrs Zainab Ahmed on that day.” The Lawmaker said.
He however warned that the EFCC should ensure a diligent prosecution of any property still undergoing prosecution by the anti-graft agency before offering them for sale, while querying the conditional right and purpose of transferring some assets to the Attorney General of the Federation.
EFCC Acting Director of Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Management, Mr. Aliyu Yusuf, however pleaded that he should be given three weeks to come with other supporting documents.
Confidence Okwuchi
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