The Presidency on Saturday opened up on the reasons why the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, was being investigated.
A presidential media helper, Garba Shehu, in an official articulation gave on the suspension of Magu, said a progression of recorded claims were made against him.
Everyone’s eyes on new EFCC chairman, Mohammed Umar Buhari suspends EFCC seat, Magu Shehu said there were justification for a definite investigation to be directed, following a preliminary review of the allegations leveled against the acting chairman and several other members of staff of the commission.
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He said an investigative panel was therefore constituted in compliance with the extant laws governing the convening of such a body. He said:
“As is the proper procedure, when allegations are made against the Chief Executive of an institution, and in this case an institution that ought to be seen as beyond reproach, the Chief Executive has to step down from his post and allow for a transparent and unhindered investigation.
“The EFCC does not revolve around the personality of an individual, and as such cannot be seen through the prism of any individual.
“Therefore, the suspension of Mr. Ibrahim Magu, allows the institution to continue carrying out its mandate without the cloud of investigation hanging over its head.
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“The EFCC has many good, hardworking men and women who are committed to its ideal and ensuring that the wealth of our country isn’t plundered and wherein there is an act of misappropriation such person(s) are brought to justice.”
Garba, who said Magu was being given an opportunity to defend himself, added that those insinuating that his probe signified the failure of the anti-corruption war had missed the point.
“Mr. Magu is being availed the opportunity to defend himself and answer the allegations against him. This is how it should be, as is the fact that under the Laws of Nigeria every citizen is presumed and remains innocent until proven guilty.
“We must realize that the fight against corruption is not a static event, but a dynamic and ever evolving process, in which the EFCC is just one actor; and as we continue to work towards improving our democratic process so shall every institution of ours also embark on that journey of evolution.
“What is however important is that there must be accountability and transparency and our people must realize that they would be held to account.
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This is the building block in the fight against corruption, the establishment of the concept of Accountability and the recognition of the Rule of Law.
“Those who see Mr. Magu’s investigation, as a signal that the fight against corruption is failing, have unfortunately, missed the boat.
“There is no better indication that the fight is real and active than the will to investigate allegations in an open and transparent manner against those who have been charged to be custodians of this very system.
“Under this president and government, this is our mantra and guiding principle. There are no sacred cows, and for those who think they have a halo over their heads, their days are also numbered.
“Mr. Magu was not immune – and regardless of the obvious embarrassment that potential acts of wrongdoing by him, given the office he held, may appear for the government.
“No other administration in the history of Nigeria would have moved to bring into the light and public domain such an allegation.”
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Friday endorsed the suspension of Magu as acting Chairman of the EFCC and designated the organization’s Director of Operations, Mohammed Umar, to take charge and oversee the activities of the Commission pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigation by Justice Salami-led panel.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) made the declaration on Friday. As indicated by an announcement by the media associate to the AGF, Dr Umar Gwandu, the endorsement is “so as to take into consideration unhindered request by the Presidential Investigation Panel under the Tribunals of Inquiry Act and other important laws.”
The announcement additionally included that President Buhari affirmed that Umar should take charge and oversee the activities of the Commission pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and further directives in that regards.
President Buhari comprised the Justice Ayo Salami-drove to probe various allegations leveled against Magu following petitions by Malami. ‘How interests on N550bn loot recovered by Magu got re-looted’ There are indications that Magu, maybe facing fresh cases of alleged re-looting of funds recovered by the commission as well as bribery.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed that the Final Report of Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets (PCARA) that secured the time of May 29, 2015, to Nov. 22, 2018, had also confirmed the concerns of the public about contradictory recovery figures emanating from Magu.
“It is quite disturbing that conflicting figures are being circulated in the public space by EFCC as the amount of recovered funds “For Foreign currency recoveries, EFCC reported a total naira equivalent of N46,038,882,509.87, while the naira equivalent of the foreign currency, lodgements were N37,533,764,195.66, representing a shortfall of N8,505,118,314.21.
“These inconsistencies cast serious doubt on the accuracy of figures submitted by the EFCC. It is the committee’s view that the EFCC cannot be said to have fully accounted for cash recoveries made by it. “While EFCC reported total Naira recoveries of N504,154,184,744.04, the actual bank lodgements were N543,511,792,863.47.
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These discrepancies mean that EFCC’s actual lodgement exceeded its reported recoveries by N39,357,608,119.43. “It must be pointed out that the discrepancy of more than thirty-nine billion naira does not include interest accrued in this account since it was opened.
“It, in this manner, give occasion to feel qualms about genuine the believability of the figures and implies that considerable measure of cash has not been precisely represented.
“Inability to provide details regarding the enthusiasm on genuine lodgments plainly sets up that intrigue component of over N550 billion has been re-plundered identifying with the period under audit. “This is a clear instance of control of information in an extremely audacious and amateurish way and this has enormously dissolved the open trust in the counter defilement endeavors,” the report expressed to a limited extent.
NAN additionally reports that the PCARA uncovered how the analytical reports on EFCC’s exercises by the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) uncovered demonstrations of debasement and tax evasion against some EFCC authorities, including Magu.
“The NFIU reports built up that the acting Chairman has been utilizing various sources to siphon cash from the EFCC, and now andcollecting bribes from suspects. EFCC turned into house of corruption, witch-hunt – PDP The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the Presidency must not cover for the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
The party said Magu was “not only unfit to lead the agency and had also reduced the anti-corruption agency to a house of corruption and a partisan witch-hunt organization that thrives in violation of rules, abuse of investigation processes, manipulation of court procedures as well as a vehicle to harass and extort money from innocent Nigerians.”
The party said the Presidency ought to rather guarantee that Magu responded in due order regarding all the charges against him.
The PDP in an announcement Saturday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, emphasized that the government ought to indict Magu and find a way to reestablish the honesty of the EFCC by altogether screening his replacement so as to accomplish ideal outcomes.
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The PDP likewise asked an investigation concerning the supposed association between the prosecuted EFCC chief and certain adjudicators taking care of EFCC cases, while approaching the legal executive to purify the courts.
“The PDP states that Magu should be made to provide answers to allegations in the public space that he was more interested in securing politically induced convictions rather than justice, for which he allegedly turned the EFCC into a terror house where innocent Nigerians are harassed with trumped-up charges and convicted on media trial even before being allowed to defend themselves in court.
“There are also allegations of violation of rights, including allegedly making his victims to make statements in custody without the services of their lawyers. This is in addition to insinuations in the public that the indicted EFCC boss was also harassing certain judges to get conviction on cases.
“Similarly, there are several cases of officers and ranks of the commission whose employment in the service were unjustly suspended or terminated,” the party said. ‘Computers missing at NFIU’ Meanwhile, sources said two computers were missing from the office of the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
The source, who dismissed the linking of incident to the current probe of the EFCC chairman said no information could be tampered with as NFIU data were actually domiciled in the server and not on the systems.
“The truth is that some people burgled the office and took away two computers. Not a single document was taken away from the temporary office. You know the NFIU is moving from the main office to a temporary office in Wuse 2.
“Those computers which have not been set up for use are taken to the temporary office. The linking of the incident to Magu case is not true because most of the NFIU data are resting on the server and not really on the systems.
The systems are just gateways to the server. So, no information will be missing. Most of the reports are actually not true,” one of the sources said. While reacting to the incident, PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr Diran Odeyemi, said the vandalism showed that some officials of the EFCC who have sympathy for Magu, were at work to stop his probe
“Everything is pointing towards Magu’s crony in the EFCC; those who benefitted from his crone practices as the leader of the EFCC.
“And I think the panel should notice this and ensure that Magu is not allowed to tamper with any of the documents. “With all that is happening, they just need to make more arrests in order to assure Nigerians that corruption is not fighting us back.
A legal practitioner, Hameed Ajibola Jimoh Esq said it is difficult to really say that there is sabotage over the alleged burglary on the NFIU’s office without having any evidence to substantiate the fact.
“What I would rather recommend is for a thorough investigation to be carried out by the government so that the public would not continue to speculate and be confused on the whole matters,” he said.
