A Benue State High Court in Markurdi, on Wednesday, restrained the Commission of Inquiry set up by Governor Hyacinth Alia from probing his predecessor, Samuel Ortom.
The court said the probe must be put on hold until the determination of a suit filed by Ortom to challenge the move to probe his administration.
Alia had in February set up two judicial commissions of inquiry into the funds(income and expenditure) of Benue State Government from May 29, 2015 to May 28, 2023, when Ortom was governor.
But Justice T. T. Asua halted the probe on Wednesday following an ex parte application taken before the court by Ortom’s lawyer, Oba Maduabuchi (SAN).
Maduabuchi told the court that the Auditor General had already investigated, probed, audited and certified the accounts of the Benue State Government under Ortom and had submitted his reports to the Benue State House of Assembly as authorised by the 1999 constitution (as amended).
He stated that the Benue State House of Assembly had also acted on the said report of the Auditor General.
He said the report of the Auditor General was published in several Benue State Gazettes, which are public documents.
Maduabuchi said in view of the above facts, Alia lacked the powers to constitute panels to probe Ortom.
Justice Asua granted the motion as prayed.
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