Five former governors may have given the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission undertakings to return more than N50bn looted public funds within the next two weeks.
A top source in the EFCC told our correspondent that they risked arraignment before the courts if they reneged on the mutual agreement or failed to honour it within the stipulated period.
It was learnt that the mutual agreement informed the decision of the commission to put on hold its plan to commence the prosecution of two of the former governors last week.
Part of the plan, according to the source, was to arrest them and keep them in custody pending their arraignment during the week
The source declined to give the names of the former governors so as not to jeopardise ongoing investigations and the new strategy of the EFCC on loot recovery. Three of the governors are from South-South, one from North-West and another from the North-Central.
The EFCC has so far moved against five former governors over gross abuse of office, including money laundering.
They include the former governor of Plateau State, Chief Joshua Dariye (Plateau); Saminu Turaki of Jigawa; Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); James Ibori of Delta; and Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State.
All of them except Ibori were granted bail following their arraignment in court by the EFCC.
The former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, had been convicted over money laundering.
The Metropolitan Police recently secured a court order in London freezing the assets of Ibori worth 35 million pounds.
But the former governor got a reprieve from another court, which defreezed the account.
Investigators from the anti-fraud unit of the British police have so far visited Nigeria twice, in continuation of its investigation of Ibori over money laundering.
The EFCC source said that in recent weeks, the interrogation of the former governors by operatives of the commission and other sensitive issues had been discreetly moved to the commission’s offices located in Maiduguri, Lagos and Kano.
The spokesman of the commission, Mr. Osita Nwajah, did not answer his calls on Friday when our correspondent tried to get his comments on the issue.
However, another source in the commission said the initiative indicated that the EFCC was more interested in recovering looted public funds from former governors than prosecuting them.
He explained, ”Our stance on anti-corruption is not necessarily to expose and shame the looters of the collective wealth, even though that is equally important if only to serve as a deterrent to others. However, it is the belief of the commission that justice will be better served with the recovery of the stolen wealth because that is what the people really need; we want to prove that the proceeds of crime cannot be the reward of crime.
“The EFCC has done a great deal to curtail the culture of impunity and corruption in Nigeria today. Granted, we have had a lot of challenges in accomplishing this, but the important thing is that we are making progress. I can confidently tell you that there is an international consensus that assets recovery programme in Nigeria is the best in the world; it is the most robust and the most remarkable in the history of assets recovery.
”We are also working fervently to ensure the quick return of billions of naira looted by corrupt governors and to remit these to the government‘s coffers for the development of the country, which is what it was originally meant for.”
The source pointed out that the commission enjoyed recognition from credible international anti-corruption agencies for its fight against corruption, including financial and economic crimes.
The EFCC was said to be projecting the recovery of more than N100bn before the end of this year.
Among the ex-governors whom several petitioners have seriously called on the EFCC to question are those of Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo and Plateau states.
For instance, petitions against the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah includes allegations that while he was governor, he continued to operate and manage the affairs of Inter Designs Partnership, an architectural firm that he started several years before assuming office.
The petitioners said he needed to give account of his stewardship because of the controversy surrounding the state’s investment in one of the GSM firms in the country.
It was also alleged that the ex-governor acquired about 26 real estate property in choice locations in the United States of America, while he was serving as governor.
During his tenure, some of his constituents had written petitions to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Maurice Iwu, the Peoples Democratic Party, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, the Director-General, State Security Service as well as the EFCC.
Some natives of Delta State, under the aegis of Delta Elders, have also accused the former governor of the state, Ibori of misappropriating about N120bn.
By JIDE BABALOLA and OSCARLINE ONWUEMENYI
Sunday Punch
Sunday, November 11, 2007
