Reps Summon Customs, CBN, 5 Others Over Alleged Concession Scam

The House of Representatives Joint Committees on Finance,
Customs and Public Petitions, has summoned the Attorney General of
the Federation, the Governor of Central Bank, the Comptroller
General of Customs and the Ministry of Finance,Budget and National
Planning, to appear before it over alleged multi-billion naira
concession scam on modernization of the Nigerian Customs
projects.

Others summoned by the Committee to appear before it next week,
are the Managing Director/CEO of HUAWEI Technical Services
Provider, Managing Director/CEO Bergmans Security Consultant and
Supplies Ltd, Bionica Technologies (West Africa) Limited, and
Managing Director/CEO of African Finance Corporation.

The Joint Committee issued the summon on Thursday through a
statement jointly signed by Hon James Faleke, Hon Yuguda Hassan
Kila and Hon Jerry Alagbaoso, chairmen of House Committees on
Finance, Customs and Public Petitions respectively.

The summoned heads of the agencies, according to the panel, are
to explain their roles in an alleged Concession Scam on the
Nigerian Customs projects.

It was gathered that the investigation which would commence next
week Wednesday, came on the heels of an adopted motion on the floor
of the House on October 10, 2019.

The Motion tagged the transaction, as a “Curious Proposed
Concession Arrangement between the Consortium (Bionica Technologies
West Africa Limited-Sponsors), Bergman Security Consultant and
Supplies Limited(Co-sponsors), African Finance Corporation (Lead
Financiers) and Huawei Lead Technical Service Provider and the
Nigeria Regulatory Commission(ICRC) for the Customs Modernization
Project”.

The House of Representatives seeks a “Suspension of Proposed
Concession Arrangement for the Customs Modernization Project”, to
ascertain the propriety of the deal and to verify allegations that
it might be a scam, meant to defraud the country.

The CBN is expected to furnish the Committee with “details
breakdown of cash inflows, application and balances of the 1%
Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) account from 2013
and 2019, while Bionica, AFC, Huawei and Bergmans are expected to
furnish the Committee, will detail of their Certificates of
Incorporation.

According to the statement, “the Committee is conducting the
investigation, in line with section 88(1) (a) and (b) of the 1999
Constitution of the country.

“The section empowers the National Assembly as a quasi-judicial
body, it is to conduct investigations and even issue punitive
recommendations

The Joint Committee in issuing the summons also warned the
parties to suspend the proposed concession arrangement for the
“Customs Modernization Project.”

The modernisation project was conceptualised to make Customs
operations electronic and more efficient in line with global
standards.