The lawyers from Juryman Associate Chambers are; Aare Oladotun Hassan, Esq, Principal Partner/Secretary, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Epe Branch/ Executive Director, Lawyers For Justice Reform, and Barr. Myso Nejo.
Some top Nigerian lawyers have written to the tenth Senate demanding the immediate disqualification of President Bola Tinubu's ministerial nominee and former Executive Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Mrs. Stella Erhuvwuoghene Okotete as minister.
The lawyers from Juryman Associate Chambers are; Aare Oladotun Hassan, Esq, Principal Partner/Secretary, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Epe Branch/ Executive Director, Lawyers For Justice Reform, and Barr. Myso Nejo.
In the letter addressed to Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, dated July 28, 2023, and titled: "Appeal For An Urgent Action," the lawyers based their petition on disqualification of appointment as honourable minister designate on the pending case before the Federal High Court Suite No: FHC/ABJ/C8/2233/2023 /Public Complaint against criminal conspiracy to wit: "violation of the CBN's regulations on appointment of Heads of Financial Institutions, gross contemptuous violation of Senate ruling and unimplemented 2019 Senate resolutions on removal recommendation over serial fraudulent misrepresentations.
"No National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) records, false information in respect of her CV on appointment as Delta Government's Director Of Millennium Development, no accurate records, lack of prerequisite qualifications and deceitful withholding of CBN's statutory position, obligations, and duties as the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM)."
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), wrote Okotete, demanding her pay slips from 2019, statement of Bank account from the same period, loans approved as the Executive Director NEXIM among others to aid in its investigation against her over alleged fraud and abuse of public office.
Meanwhile, in the letter to Nigeria's upper legislative House, the petitioners requested the Senate to properly investigate Mrs. Okotete over massive corruption allegations against her - round-tripping and recycling of different loans and use of various front-companies as proxies to defraud NEXIM Bank of billions of Naira and Dollars.
They appealed that while the investigation is going on, she should be replaced with a qualified person to allow a thorough background investigation and profiling of her academic credentials and sequence of events as stated in her unsubstantiated and ridiculously padded curriculum vitae.
They asked the Senate to "investigate her academic profile as regards her school's records of exams, school fees payments, and NYSC Certificate, as well allowance payments during her years of service.
"To investigate her disqualification by the Senate and her non-compliance to Senate resolution and ruling which is highly contemptuous and disobedience to the constituted authority of Senate.
"To investigate her earlier appointment as ED NEXIM BANK, with No banking service 18 years nor financial accounting experience, as well as serial criminal activities bordering on excessive and reckless abuse of office, deceitful misrepresentation of her qualifications to earn the post of the Executive Director of the NEXIM BANK, conspicuously done in gross violation of the Central Bank of Nigeria Laws and Regulations, and most embarrassing is the unimplemented April 2019 Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition's Resolution signed by Senator Samuel N. Anyawu."
The Petitioners claimed that she is unrepentant to pervert further criminal activities, "if her appointment is confirmed by the 10th Senate Assembly, while she was allowed to continue to hold on to her earlier position as the Executive Director of the NEXIM BANK till date which the Senate resolved on to be removed while consolidating on her fraudulent spree under the guise of privileged knowledge, abuse of office and executive recklessness.
"We believe the suspect remains unrepentant to further carry out her wicked atrocities. In gross violation of the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and CBN'S statutory Regulatory laws and the NEXIM BANK Act; wherein she failed to meet the required 18 years mandatory cognate experience and qualifications: out of which 13 years must be in active banking service and 2 years of such years as General Manager, hence precipitating our humble request for urgent action for an onward harmonization and due diligent investigation authorized by your good office and onward prosecution at a court of competent jurisdiction respectively.
"On this premise, we anticipate your good office independent, swift, and fair investigation, while hoping on your authorized reversal of all discharged transactions, and further accord the investigating team to act decisively through the office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, particularly EFCC and office of the Inspector General of Police to recover all fraudulent payments earned as Executive Director of the NEXIM BANK; during the entire years and period of her appointment till date, as well as harmonize their investigation accordingly."