ICPC clears former police boss, orders PSC to refund N145m election monitoring fund

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has ordered the Police Service Commission (PSC), to refund N145.16 million, out of the N350 million election monitoring fund to the Federation Account.

This is contained in a document signed by the Chairman of ICPC, Ekpo Nta in Abuja on Tuesday, August 11.

"The total amount of N133, 413,845.99 from the N350 million 2015 election monitoring exercise domiciled within FCMB be remitted to the Federal Treasury through the ICPC recovery account at Zenith Bank," it said.

The commission also directed all staff who took part in the election monitoring to refund the N11.7 million paid to them as two-way return ticket and airport taxi within the FCT to the Federal treasury through ICPC recovery account.

"The Police Service Commission paid DTA to all staff including those based in Abuja that participated in the training programme held within Abuja.

"The investigation has not revealed any criminal infraction against Mr Mike Okiro as all issues outlined above are administrative in nature," he said.

It said that it was confirmed that Okiro collected five days each for two conferences that ran simultaneously in Dublin and Orlando, Florida.

"However, it was discovered that he expended the entire 10 days on the trip using the ticket-fare for Abuja-Dublin-Abuja," it said.

According to the document, Okiro has written to the Presidency to expend the ticket-fare for Abuja-Orlando-Abuja on another trip coming up in October.

It said that if the presidency approved his request, the matter would be considered by the commission.

"However, if approval is refused, the fund thereof should be returned to the Police Service Commission and ICPC so informed," he said.

The document said that the commission accepted the explanation by PSC that due process could not be strictly adhered to because of time constraint.

However, the commission has cleared the Chairman of PSC, Mr Mike Okiro of any criminal infraction in the utilisation of part of the election monitoring money.

NAN recalls that Aaron Kaase, a staff of PSC had petitioned the ICPC that Okiro swindled the PSC of more than N275 million from the N350 million meant for training of its staff to monitor the conduct of the 2015 election.