THE Special Presidential Investigation Panel on Recovery of Public Property (SPIP) has been dragged before a Federal High Court, Abuja for allegedly taken over of a multi-million naira property belonging to a private investor. The investor, D. B Mangal Ltd is praying the court for an order stopping the panel from sealing off its property and forcefully ejecting, harassing and intimidating the occupants of the building. It would be recalled that both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had in their judgments held that the panel lacked the power to prosecute crimes bordering on non-declaration of assets. Specifically, the Court of Appeal in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Hussein Muhktar held that the panel lacked the constitutional power to seize the property of alleged offenders without a valid court order. Before the handover, the panel had last month placed the property housing the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) under investigation.

Source: Nigerian Tribune June 23, 2019 16:58 UTC