By Peter Okolie
The Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Owerri Branch, Prof. Mazi Udegbulem, says he is not going to seem earlier than a five-member committee arrange by the affiliation to probe his alleged diversion of funds.
Addressing newsmen in Owerri, on Monday, Udegbulem mentioned he wouldn’t submit himself to the panel “over concerns of bias and parallel proceedings”, relating to an alleged misappropriation of N100 million Imo Government’s grant to the authorized physique.
He argued that submitting to the committee, whereas a three-member panel constituted by the NBA National President, Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, was lively would quantity to insubordination and illegality.
“By the architecture of the NBA, it will be illegal and insubordination to the office of the national president that she set up a committee, but those after me set up theirs,” he mentioned.
Udegbulem alleged that key members of the department panel had already taken public stances in opposition to him on social media platforms, rendering a good listening to not possible.
“There is no way I can get a fair trial before the man who accused me, calling me a fraudster.
“I have told my president that I will not submit myself to the panel,” he mentioned.
He defined that the N100 million assist accredited by the Imo Government was paid immediately into the official account of the department and utilised for accredited tasks.
Udegbulem offered a line-by-line breakdown of how the N100 million grant, obtained on Aug. 24, was spent, alongside a gap department steadiness of N6.35 million.
According to him, whole expenditures amounted to N87.4 million on photo voltaic installations, air conditioners, seats, and welfare, leaving a steadiness of N18.9 million.
He defined that N42.18 million was spent on logistics for the physique’s Annual General Conference, N17.5 million on a 32KVA solar energy system, and N5.41 million on air conditioners.
Other expenditures, he mentioned, included N10.3 million distributed as direct welfare assist to 206 department members and N3.4 million for enrolling 86 members in medical insurance scheme.
He additionally mentioned that N2.24 million was spent to buy computer systems, N2.5 million for public tackle programs, N1.93 million for govt chairs, and N1.95 million for centre repairs.
“Total expenditures stood at N87.43 million, leaving a verified balance of N18.91 million in the official Fidelity Bank account.
“All the projects executed with the funds are fully completed, verified, and open for physical inspection at the Bar Centre in Owerri,” Udegbulem mentioned.
He additional mentioned that he had totally submitted all financial institution information, vouchers, and challenge paperwork to the affiliation’s nationwide president’s investigative committee for scrutiny.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) experiences that the disaster started, following a petition by a former department General Secretary, Mr Chinedu Agu, accusing Udegbulem of economic misappropriation.
Agu additionally petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and NBA nationwide management, alleging that the State Government’s grant was spent with out prior approval by the overall assembly.
He additional alleged that the manager committee carried out unapproved disbursements, thereby compromising the skilled independence of the affiliation within the state.
Badejo-Okusanya had earlier constituted a three-member committee to research the allegations in opposition to Udegbulem.
However, the Owerri department insisted on establishing its unbiased committee to work alongside the nationwide committee, citing the insecurity within the panel constituted by the nationwide management as its cause. (NAN)
Edited by Sam Oditah
