The Kwara State Government has risen in defence of the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, against claims he received salary for four years after he served as governor of the state.

On Wednesday, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission testified before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, saying Mr. Saraki kept drawing salary from Kwara Government after he left office in 2011 and had been elected senator.

But Kwara, in a statement by the Secretary to State Government, Isiaka Gold, on Wednesday, denied the EFCC claims, saying it has only been paying Mr. Saraki’s pension since he left office.

The state government said the last amount it paid Mr. Saraki as salary was N291,474.00 meant for May, 2011 – his last month in office.

According to the statement, “From June 2011, former Governor Saraki started receiving his pension which was N578,188.00 as other past governors in the country.”

The statement added that “after the review of pensions of former political office holders by the State Pension Board, the former governor’s pension increased to N1,239,493.94 monthly from October 2014 to date.

“Kwara State Government, therefore, dismissed as false and misleading the allegation that former Governor Saraki was receiving salaries after the expiration of his two-term tenure as governor of the state.”

Credit: PremiumTimes