The House of Representatives’ committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday summoned the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) and its managing director, Mr Haruna Momoh, to appear before it, as it continues its investigation on the charter of the 850 challenger aircraft by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke.
The company was given one week to submit in written form all they know about the issue.
Despite the court case instituted against the House by the Minister to stop them from probing the alleged 10 billion Naira (about 62.5 million dollars) expenses on chartered jets, the House seems to be forging ahead with the investigation.
In a letter, the chairman of the committee, Solomon Olamilekan, said the committee issued the memo as a result of new information from Vistajet International Limited, one of the companies involved in the transactions which showed that the PPMC and its boss played a central role in the charter of the challenger aircraft.
The committee in the memo requested for the following; details of the financial transaction on the amount paid by NNPC/PPMC to Vistajet International Limited for the charter, maintenance of the 850 challenger aircraft and other related aircraft from January 2012 till date as well as details of any financial liabilities that may be currently outstanding on the charter among other issues.
The committee said that failure of both the organisation and its boss to submit the memorandum requested and appear before it on a date yet to be communicated would be treated as a criminal offence.
Last week, there were reports that an Abuja High Court issued an order of interim injunction restraining the National Assembly from compelling the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, to appear before it for an investigative public hearing on the lease of aircraft by the Minister.
But the court denied such decision, summoning the House of Representatives to explain how it came about the purported order.
In the heat of the controversy, the House of Representatives insisted that it would continue with the investigation, accusing the Minister of reckless use of public funds for personal businesses.