Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, may be
crippled next year if the Federal Government’s slashing of its 2013 budget
proposal by N11.7 billion sails through the National Assembly.
Already, EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Larmode, has expressed
concern that the development might prevent the agency from meeting its
personnel cost in 2013.
The anti-graft agency had proposed N21,028,488,772
billion to fund its operations in 2013, but the Budget Office approved
N9,328,159,022 billion, less than half of the commission’s request to meet
capital, personnel and overhead expenditure items next year.
While defending the commission’s 2013 budget proposals
before the House of Representatives Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial
Crimes yesterday, Larmode told the committee that the Federal Government failed
to release N25 million appropriated for the purchase of arms and ammunition for
the commission this year.
Members of the Adams Jagaba-led Committee queried
phased releases of funds by the Finance Ministry to EFCC as evident in 15
percent deficit in cash-backed 2012 release to the commission with a month left
to the end of the fiscal year.
Due to allegations of politically-motivated
prosecutions, EFCC has come under criticisms lately for its seeming lukewarm
approach to its anti-corruption fight.