Former President, Jonathan has exonerates self from arm scam

 Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied signing out $2 billion dollars for the procurement of arms in South Africa as claimed by the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, Premium Times reports.

Jonathan made the statement at a forum titled “Presidential elections and democratic consolidation in Africa: Case studies on Nigeria and Tanzania” in Washington DC, on Thursday.

The session was co-hosted by National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) with Jonathan as the sole speaker.

A presidential investigations committee into arms procurement under the administration of President Jonathan revealed in its interim report that it found extra-budgetary spending by the Jonathan administration to the tune of N643.8 billion and an additional $2.2 billion in the foreign currency component, all managed and supervised by Sambo Dasuki.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday received the interim report of the investigative committee on Arms procurement with an order for the arrest of all indicted persons in the arms scam including Dasuki.
According to the statement, the committee which was inaugurated on August 31, is yet to complete its work but its interim report has unearthed several illicit and fraudulent financial transactions.
Dasuki denied any wrongdoing in the arms deal scandal.
The State Security Service has kept Dasuki under house arrest for more than a week despite a Federal High Court order allowing him to travel abroad for medical care.
The court had allowed Dasuki bail after he pleaded innocent to other charges of money-laundering, involving more than $423 000 found in cash, and illegal possession of arms seized at two of his homes.