The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) has reportedly secured a court warrant to arrest four
officials of the Rivers government over an alleged N117 billion suspicious
transaction.
The anti-graft agency is
investigating the transaction of the said sum which was supposedly withdrawn
over the counter in the last three years.
The EFCC had invited and quizzed
Peter Amangbo, managing director of Zenith Bank, over the alleged transaction.
The anti-graft agency is also
seeking to quiz four officials of the state who were central to the
withdrawals.
However, Nyesom Wike, Rivers
governor, had said the investigation is “politically motivated”.
He said until the EFCC approaches
the court of appeal to set aside the 2007 judgment barring the commission from
investigating the state, his officials would not honour its summons.
But the EFCC, according to The
Nation, has obtained a court warrant to arrest the officials and may declare
them wanted if the move to arrest them fails.
The suspects were alleged to have
gone underground following the decision of the state government not to hand
them over to the EFCC.
“The EFCC is also now empowered
by the law to watch-list these state officials which will make it possible to
pick them up in any part of the country and abroad,” the report quoted sources
as saying.
“So, we are now on the trail of
the affected officials. But, if they remain underground, we may declare them
wanted.”
“None of the officials has
immunity from arrest, investigation and prosecution.”
“The reference to a 2007 court
order by the Rivers State government is just a desperate attempt to cling at any
straw.
“We have records to show that
when Governor Nyesom Wike was Chief of Staff at the same Government House, he
was invited, interrogated and detained by the EFCC on June 10, 2008.
“As a law-abiding agency, the
EFCC will continue to do its work without fear or favour. We will get to the
root of the illegal withdrawal of N117 billion in cash and without official
records.”
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com