The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have concluded arrangements of arresting some of the prominent Nigerian politicians fingered in the Siemens bribery scandal, Sunday Trust can reveal. A source inside the anti-graft agency told Sunday Trust last night that the suspects would also be dragged to court by the agency as soon as possible.
This is coming at a time when the spokesperson of the EFCC, Mr Femi Babafemi confirmed in an interview with Sunday Trust that the EFCC was indeed, bent on stopping some politicians from contesting elective offices because of corrupt allegations. “We are going to work with other anti-graft agencies like the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
He emphasised that “we would work with institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and, most importantly, the political parties. We would be working with civil society organisations, and the citizens. The citizens are the ultimate decision makers as the voters.”
The EFCC had earlier resolved to commence the prosecution of another set of prominent Nigerians indicted in the Halliburton scam as well as storming some states in the federation believed to be against President Goodluck Jonathan presidential ambition.
Of the over 61 prominent Nigerians indicted in the Siemens included five former Nigerian ministers of communications who allegedly shared the bribe given by multi-national communications company between 2001 and 2004.
They are Professor Jibril Aminu, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, Dr Bello Halliru, incumbent Peoples Democratic Party (PDPs) deputy national chairman; General Tajuddeen Olanrewaju, Alhaji Haruna Elewi and Mr David Osakwe Oyegun.
But the EFCC spokesperson told Sunday Trust that it was not true that the anti-graft’s agency’s resolve to bring the suspects to book was politically-motivated. He said that “EFCC, especially under the current leadership, would not witch hunt anybody. It is not within our view and that is why we are being careful not to do anything outside the law.”
Siemens, a German telecommunication giant admitted in 2007 that it had uncovered more than 1.3bn Euros in suspicious payments. Of this sum, 10million Euros were given as bribe to some Nigerian ministers and government officials between 2001 and 2004.
Also, the Governor of Cross Rivers State, Senator Liyel Imoke’s name was enlisted among other 10 people who allegedly collected their share of the bribe largesse through sponsorship of holiday and medical treatment abroad.
The embattled deputy national chairman of the PDP, Chief Olabode George, who is currently serving a two year jail term along with some five other executives of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA at the Kiri-Kiri Maximum Prison, Lagos, was allegedly said to have also collected his share of the bribe through expenses paid for holiday overseas.
Others included the chairman and Chief Executive of Globacom, Chief Mike Adenuga and his wife, Titi; former minister of state for power and steel under Imoke, Ahmed Abdulhamid as well as the permanent secretary in the ministry, Engineer S.M. Mahmood whose overseas holiday trips with their families was allegedly paid for with the bribe proceeds.
On the list also are the one time Managing Director of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Chief J.O. Makoju and his wife as well as four former Chief Executives of the collapsed Nigeria’s telecommunications giant NITEL namely Messrs Albert Mashi, H.G. Yar’adua, Buba Bajoga and Edwin Momife as well as the former Managing Director of the defunct Daily Times newspapers, Fidelis Anosike.
No comments:
Post a Comment