The Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is facing contempt of court charges for disobeying an order.Okonjo is said to have disobeyed judgment on statutory transfers delivered at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja in respect of a suit filed at the court by the Centre for Social Justice.
She was served a Notice of Consequences of disobedience to court order otherwise known as Form 48, issued by Justice A. Abdu-Kafarati of the Federal High Court on Tuesday April 29, 2014 in her Abuja office.
Okonjo had been compelled by the court through an order of mandamus, dated February 25 to grant the Centre for Social Justice, CSJ access to the details of the statutory transfers in the 2013 appropriation act, following a suit filed by one Kingsley Nnajiaka, an Abuja-based legal practitioner, on behalf of the group.
Specifically, the lawyer demanded the details of the money released by the Federal Government to the National Judicial Council, NJC; Niger-Delta Development Commission, NDDC; Universal Basic Education, UBE; the National Assembly, NASS; the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC; and the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC.
In the contempt charge, the judge noted that since the order was made, the minister had refused to comply with the order, despite several letters to her on the need to comply.
The court also declared that the continued refusal of the respondents to grant the applicant access to details of statutory transfers in the 2013 appropriation act despite applicant’s demand violated section 4 of the FOI act.
According to the Lead Director of CSJ, Eze Onyekpere, with the notice of contempt charge, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala has 48 hours to comply with the order or risk being committed for contempt of court.
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