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Nigeria leader indicted for graft Nigeria leader indicted for graft
(20 minutes later)
A Nigerian Senate committee has indicted the president and his deputy for corruption over an oil fund.A Nigerian Senate committee has indicted the president and his deputy for corruption over an oil fund.
The committee recommends both President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice-President Atiku Abubakar be prosecuted.The committee recommends both President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice-President Atiku Abubakar be prosecuted.
The Senate accepted the report despite initial pressure to block it, but will sit on it until after general elections scheduled for next month. The committee resigned after pressure to block the report. The senate will now consider the report but not until after general elections next month.
It is the first time a Nigerian Senate Committee has accused President Obasanjo of corruption. Mr Obasanjo stands down after two terms in office, but Mr Abubakar has been barred from running.
Mr Abubakar has been barred from running in April's poll and is challenging an indictment in court. It is the first time a Nigerian Senate committee has accused President Obasanjo of corruption.
A government ministerial panel had accused Mr Abubakar of diverting money belonging to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).
The country's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which examined the PTDF financial records accused Mr Abubakar of diverting some $145m to his personal businesses.
Mr Abubakar denies all the charges and is in court challenging his exclusion from the presidential election.
The senate committee report found Mr Abubakar approved $20m from the PTDF account without the president's approval.
Senator Umar Tsauri, chairman of the committee, told the BBC they had met "repeated roadblocks" in trying to present the report to the Senate and felt its release before the elections was being prevented.
"We pleaded with the leadership of the Senate to allow us to present our report but they said no and we just felt it was better to resign because it'd be a blow to our integrity," he said.
"Our integrity was at stake. We resigned because we are principled people."