Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
*EFCC seizes billions
* London court to attach Nigerian property
*Lawyer files pre-action notice NGF, AGF, others
Trouble seems to be brewing over the alleged release of the second tranche of about N645,500,000,000 billion Paris Fund to the Nigerian Governors Forum over the non payment of consultants engaged by the Forum to facilitate the release of the said funds.
It was however gathered that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , EFCC has waded into the affairs and had seized some properties and part of the money alleged to have been misappropriated.
Arising from the non payment, it was further gathered that one of the foreign consultant had approached a London court seeking to attach a Nigerian property.
Meanwhile, one of the consultants engaged by the Forum, an Abuja based law firm, KACCL, has filed a pre-action notice over refusal of the forum to pay its consultancy fee.
The said letter of demand and pre-action notice, dated December 14, 2018 and addressed to the Director General of the Nigeria Governors Forum was signed by one Rapheal Oyewole, a lawyer in the said law firm.
In the letter entitled “Re-Request for payment of our consultancy fee from the second and last tranche payment of the Paris Club refund”, which also served as pre-action notice, the law firm threatened to take a legal action against the forum and others if the said fee is not paid.
To be joined as defendants in the threatened legal action are the Attorney General of the Federation, Central Bank of Nigeria, EFCC and a foreign consultant partner, Mr. Yer Lawrence and United Global Resolve for Peace.
Trouble arose when NGF said that it will not pay the consultant for the second tranche of the money recently paid.
According to the letter , a copy of which was obtained by New Telegraph in Abuja reads in part, ” please further recall that we were engaged as a consultant to the Forum and the role played by us in recovering the total sum paid to the Forum as a refund was largely strategic and behind the scene. All in all, we ensured that the interest of all the member states was protected and all necessary entitlement paid.
“It is crystal clear that the agreement reached on 6th June, 2018 was for the payment of our consultancy fee on the first tranche of the Paris Club Refund already paid and ascertainable. Howbeit, it is unreasonable for us as a consultant to demand and/or request for payment on an uncompleted transaction or futuristic recoveries . Hence , the payment made to us was only for the first tranche of the Paris Club Refund recovered through collective efforts of the appointed consultants one of which we are.”
The law firm however reiterated its demand for the payment of its consultancy fee for the second and last tranche of the Paris Club Refund totalling N645, 500 ,000,000 billion which was recently paid to the member states of the Nigerian Governors Forum.
It equally notify the forum that should it fail to pay the said sum, within 30 days of receipt of the letter, it shall be constrained to seek redress before a court of law in recovering its fees without further recourse to the Forum.
The law firm further stated ,it is joining the AGF and Ministry of Finance in the proposed suit considering the supervisory role they played in the disbursement of the fund.
The firm said it will join the CBN as the warehouse of the fund.
In addition , the firm noted that the EFCC will be joined in the suit , having recovered and being in custody of some properties and part of the funds misappropriated.
The firm is equally joining Lawrence and UGRP, being its strategic partners, who acted as consultants under the firm and presently in demand of their fees and expenditure.
One of the strategic partners to the firm, Mr. Yer Lawrence has also commenced action from his London base in which he’s suing the Principal Partner of the firm and Nigerian Government with an application to attach some properties belonging to his elsewhere Partner and Federal Government of Nigeria all in bid to recover his fees.
