Assistant Controller-General of Prisons, Bala Salihi, and Coscharis Motors Limited are locked in a battle over non-payment of outstanding balance of N54m by the Nigeria Prison Service in a contract for the supply of 3000 motorcycles valued at N330m.
Coscharis Ltd. had petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and accused Salihi of pocketing N54m outstanding balance for 1160 motorcycles it claimed to have supplied to the Bauchi State Zonal Command of the Prison Service, when Salihi was the Zonal Controller in 2010.
It accused the ACG of diverting the outstanding balance for 172 motorcycles supplied to the Prison service personnel in the command under a loan scheme.
But Salihi described as blackmail and mischief, allegations by the motor dealer that he diverted the outstanding balance for the 172 motorcycles in contention, noting that the documents being tendered by the firm were forged.
The ACG in a statement on Monday in Abuja, refuted the allegations by Coscharis and explained that only 988 motorcycle units were delivered to the Bauchi State Command of the Prison service in 2010,adding that the firm has so far been paid N82,653,319.18 as at December 2012, out of the N108,680,000 contract sum, at N110,000 per unit.
Salihi said Coscharis’ petition to the EFCC smacked of mischief and blackmail, stressing that it was an attempt to dent his image and bring his name into disrepute.
He challenged Coscharis Ltd, to provide evidence that he diverted N54m or collected any bribe from its officials based on the motorcycles transaction, insisting that all the documents being tendered by the dealer were forged.
He explained that based on approval and a management guarantee letter from the National Headquarters of the Prison Service Cooperative, Abuja, the Bauchi Command of the service had entered into an agreement with Coscharis Ltd. to supply 3000 motorcycles under a loan scheme to NPS personnel in Bauchi at a cost of N330m payable within 18 months.
Following the MoU between the Bauchi Prison Command and Osychris Ltd, the ACG said a committee was set up to take delivery of the motorcycles headed by one DCP Mohammed Gombe as Chairman and the Secretary,Prison Service Cooperative and the procurement officer as members.
He said, “I did not take delivery of 1160 motorcycles from Coscharis Motors. To the best of my knowledge, no single Prison Service Cooperative officials was involved in the delivery and distribution of 1160 motorcycles to zonal personnel, but I was made to understand that one James and an Inspector Mohammed Amshi (alias Bamai) now at large, acknowledged fake receipts of 1160 motorcycles and distributed to commands under the zone, not Bauchi Zonal Headquarters staff as claimed by the petitioner.”
Salihi stated that at the end of 2010, he was on a course at Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru and while he was away, nobody contacted him until later when he heard about the faked list of motorcycle beneficiaries.
He said, “The total expected payment to Coscharis motors for 1160 motorcycles was N127,600,000 , but the records of beneficiaries sent to NHQ, Abuja, showed 988 motorcycles valued at N108,680,000, out of which N82,653,319 was paid to Coscharis Access Bank account number 0001598726 at Abuja branch.
“I wish to state clearly that the claim by Coscharis motors on the sum of N54m is not true as all documents they are portraying were not signed by me nor emanated from the zonal office except that the Prison service e-payroll should explain the authority to effect stoppage of deduction or underpayment to the company when the 18 months of repayment was not reached.”
He stated that the Prison service would only pay a shortfall of N26,026,680 to the motor dealer, insisting that the service would not be responsible for the 172 motorcycles in contention, valued at N18,920,000.
The ACG advised Coscharis to recover the payment for purported shortfall of 172 motorcycles from its director, Chris Ibe and James, whom he said handled the distribution of the motorcycles along with Inspector Mohammed Amshi, who is said to be on the run.
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