Business
‘2017 Budget To Be Financed By Recovered Loot’
Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecutions, Mr Okoi Obono-Obla, has said that part of the 2017 budget would be financed by recovered looted funds.
Obono-Obla stated this last Tuesday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen on what the Federal Government was doing with looted funds so far recovered.
“About 20 per cent of this year`s budget will be financed from our recovery effort,’’ he said.
He added that the Federal Government would, however, liaise with the National Assembly for permission before the funds would be used.
The president’s aide commended the Federal Government, saying that it had ensured the stability of the country‘s polity and had halted corruption in public offices.
Obono-Obla debunked insinuations that the recent raid of The Sun Newspaper’s office by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was done out of victimisation.
“They didn’t go there because The Sun published a news story that is adverse to the EFCC or the Federal Government.
“They went there to do their work as part of their mandate to fight economic and financial crimes,’’ he said.
The aide said that the media house was owned by a former governor, who was currently being prosecuted by the EFCC.
He stressed that the fact that the publisher of the newspaper was under trial, gave the commission the power to obtain a court order of interim forfeiture pending the hearing of the case.