The Debt Management Office (DMO) has reacted to the alleged N1.08 billion corruption scandal that has been making the round in the news media.
In its reaction, the DMO, while denying the allegation, described the story in a Vanguard report as false and full of lies. It also stated that the documents referred to in the report have been twisted and distorted with the intention to misinform the general public and discredit the institution.
The disclosure was made in a public statement that was issued by the DMO on August 22, 2020, and can be seen on its website.
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The statement from the DMO reads, ‘’The attention of the Debt Management Office (DMO) has been drawn to a report in the Vanguard of Saturday, August 22, 2020, titled, Alleged N1.08bn corruption scandal hits DMO.’’
‘’The DMO hereby states unequivocally that the story is false, full of lies and the documents referred to in the Vanguard’s report have been twisted and distorted with the intention to misinform the general public and discredit the institution. The Vanguard story is not a true representation of the dealings in the DMO.’
The DMO noted that it is an accountable, transparent and responsible organization that works in accordance with laid down civil service procedures and is highly regarded by Multilateral Agencies and financial institutions as a reputable government agency.
The DMO described the sponsors of the story are disgruntled elements who have not only breached the Civil Service Rules but have also contravened laid down procedures for dealing with official matters.
The agency said that the officials have resorted to illegally leaking official documents due to their recent redeployment and have colluded with other disgruntled persons who have failed in their attempts to control the running of the affairs of the DMO, which has blocked their ability to steal public funds.
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The DMO pointed out that the story that was making round referred to documents that are incomplete and do not reflect the whole story or the purpose of any transaction. They said that the claims that events and travels by officials of the DMO either did not take place or did not hold are false and an attempt to discredit the impeccable records of the organization and also a desperate attempt to give the institution a bad name.
They described as unfortunate a situation where a reputable news medium such as Vanguard would lower its guard by allowing its platform to be used to promote falsehood by disgruntled and fraudulent elements in the DMO without cross-checking with the management of the organization.
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The DMO revealed that in line with laid down Civil Service Regulations, they will brief relevant security agencies in the country to thoroughly investigate the sources of the documents, on which the sponsors based their story, with a view to bringing the perpetrators to book in line with Public Service Rules No. 030401 and 030402 which prescribes dismissal for unauthorized disclosure of official information as a serious act of misconduct.
