Sex scandal: US envoy has no evidence – Minister
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyema, on Thursday, said that the former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, has no irrefutable evidence to substantiate his allegation of sexual misconduct made against the three House of Representatives members.
Testifying before the joint investigative hearing being conducted by the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges and that of Foreign Relations, the minister said that based on his interaction with the US envoy, Entwistle revealed that even though the allegations of misconduct were made, the house keeper has refused to testify to proof the allegations.
Onyema added that based on the lack of substantive evidence provided by the US, the allegations against the three House members remain in the realm of conjecture and unsubstantiated.
According to the minister, the ambassador’s confirmation of the sexual misconduct allegations were “a bit ambiguous because he didn’t present any corroborative evidence to me neither did he say he had any in my interaction with him.
“This was a mere allegation which is unsubstantiated and evidence lacking. The allegations in my opinion don’t constitute guilt; there were no testimonies and identification of the lawmakers was through a photograph.
“The three accused lawmakers haven’t been charged or convicted in a court of law in the US. What the members have gone through is trial by the media and is most unfair,” the Onyema added.
Giving reasons why Entwistle explored the option of writing directly to the Speaker Yakubu Dogara in breach of diplomatic channels of communication, the minister said that the former envoy felt an obligation to bring the allegations to the notice of the speaker even if they were true or not.
Furthermore, he added that Entwistle considered informing the speaker of the allegations to enable him caution lawmakers against engaging in inappropriate behaviour and from jeopardising the chances of Nigerian lawmakers participating in future programmes.
He declared that the envoy apologised for breaching the normal channel of diplomatic communication and that the ministry expressed the belief that such a breach will not be repeated in future.
Reps Mohammed Gololo, Samuel Ikon and Mark Gbillah in their respective closing statements before the committee, stated that they have been humiliated and embarrassed by the allegations.
The said: “We’ve been humiliated and embarrassed and it takes courage for me to continue with my daily activities. We demand an apology.
“We’ve been publicly tried and convicted. We reaffirm our innocence. Issues will continue if not addressed; we’ve suffered a lot of abuses and integrity issues.
“We’ll be courageous even in the face of defamation. Nigerians haven’t heard the last of this. We’ll pursue it the logical conclusion and wherever Entwistle is, he’ll take responsibility for his actions”.
