SAN FRANCISCO, July 21, (THEWILL) – The Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Effurun chapter of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has threatened to drag the PTI management before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged N320million scam rocking the institution.
Some PTI officials are said to be allegedly involved in the “tax settlement scam” running into several millions of naira of which the State Security Services (SSS) had investigated and indicted those fingered in the racket.
Reliable source however told THEWILL that in a bid to wriggle themselves out of the mess, some management staff of the institution allegedly indicted in the matter, had engaged the services of a lawyer who apparently they had used to fleece the institution of about N320million.
In a document dated 26th May, 2014 which confirmed the alleged scam rocking the institution and obtained by THEWILL, PENGASSAN had asked the dramatis personea reportedly indicted over the scam to refund the money allegedly withdrawn on alleged tax settlement, failure of which the EFCC would be invited to probe the scam.
The document, which was signed by the branch chairman of PENGASSAN, Prince P.A.Oshiokhamele, and his Secretary, Comrade G.J. Birma and sent to the EFCC, ICPC, Chairman PTI’s Governing Council among others relevant establishment, said the PTI management had flagrantly disregard the association’s demand to know what the huge money withdrawn from the institution’s coffers were meant for.
The document said instead of availing the association with information it requested, the institution management had in May paid additional N120million to a legal practitioner on tax matters, a development which is being contested by the association since May 16.
“Arising from the above, the following staff (names witheld) are advised to refund the sum of three hundred and twenty million (320,000,000) naira into the institution accounts,” the document read.
It could be recalled that the scam is not unconnected with the Personal Income Tax amounting to N3.59billion the institution is allegedly owing the Delta State Government.
Officials of the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue had in 2012 indicted the institution of allegedly owing it un-remitted tax.
According to Clark Ekpebe, a legal aide to the executive chairman of the board, the tax owed by the institution was in according to the provisions of Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) as amended 2011 which forbids anybody whose responsibility it is to deduct taxes from their employees to fail to remit same to the Revenue Board.
Ekpebe had said that the institution was “criminally liable for withholding and failing to remit taxes deducted from employees as enshrined in Section 74 of the PITA Act.”
A reliable source said the institution had ‘settled’ the matter by remitting part of the N3.59 billion in an ‘out of court’ settlement deal but had allegedly shared about N120 million among top management staff, a development in which the SSS officials were reportedly called in to investigate and therefore indicted the institution after a failed ‘bribery’ scandal.
“The SSS had indicted the institution over the un-remitted tax issues and have established that N120 million was fraudulently pocketed by some top management staff of the institution, of which they were investigated and found wanting.
“One of the staff of the institute who was also indicted but had recently retired from the institution later took the SSS to court in a bid to clear his name and to restrain the agency from pushing for his prosecution,” the source said.
The source however said that the matter currently in court only involves those indicted who are battling to clear their name and not the institution in particular.
When contacted for comment on the allegations, the institution’s Head of Public Affairs, Mr. Brown Ukanefimoni , said he wouldn’t comment on the matter since a case relating to the alleged scam is already in court.
