Alleged evasion of withholding tax: Senate indicts AGF tribuneonlineng.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tribuneonlineng.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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PENULTIMATE week, the Senate approved the 2015 report of its committee on Public Accounts which indicted 59 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the government, asking them to return over N300 billion to the Federation Account. In addition, it faulted the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over its non-remittance of N3.8 trillion realised from crude oil sales in 2015 alone while mandating the anti-graft agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to go after the government officials responsible for diverting funds during the year under review. For over a year, the Senate Committee on Public Accounts had been investigating the expenditures by federal government agencies from 2015 – 2018 based on audit report by the Auditor-General for the Federation.
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The upper chamber noted that the non-remittance of N67.51 billion for 2013 and 2014 into the consolidated revenue fund (CRF), being 25 percent of its internally generated revenue (IGR) contravened the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.
It added that the failure to remit capitalised interest to the CRF, “totalling” N99.71 million, between 2013 and 2014 contravened Rule 236 of the Financial Regulations.
In May 2021, the senate committee on finance had
invited heads of 60 government-owned firms, including the ports authority, to explain the failure to remit various funds running into about N3 trillion to the federal government’s account.
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In a statement signed by Ezrel Tabiowo, special assistant (press) to the senate president, on Wednesday, the upper chamber mandated the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the accounting officer under Rule 3112 (I and II) of the Financial Regulations.
By Kingsley Okoye/08067555610
Abuja, July 14, 2021 The Senate on Wednesday at plenary faulted the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over alleged under-remittance of N3.8 trillion revenue from domestic crude oil sales to the Federation Account between January and December 2015.
It therefore urged the corporation to desist from further deduction at source, as the practice contravened Section 162(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
It also mandated the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) or any other approving authority to urgently approve agreed percentage which should be allocated to NNPC monthly, as operational cost to prevent its operations from been affected adversely.
Senate’s decision was sequel to the adoption of 59 recommendations contained in the report of its Committee on Public Accounts on the Annual report of the Auditor-General for the Federation on the Accounts of the Federation for the year ended Dec. 31, 2015.
Senate Asks NPA, BPE, 57 Others to Refund N300bn thisdaylive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thisdaylive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.