EFCC Writes Senate Clerk, As They Demands Receipts And Contracts’ Documents Regarding Bukola Saraki Tenure
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has written a letter to the Clerk of the Senate, demanding the receipts, cash books and documents of the contracts of the Office of the President of the 8th Senate led by Bukola Saraki.
The EFCC, in a letter signed by the Director of Operations, Mohammed Umar, said it was investigating cases of conspiracy, stealing and money laundering.
In the letter with reference number CR: 3000/EFCC/ABJ/CMU/SAK/Vol1/168, the commission asked the clerk to also attach any other information that might assist the anti-graft agency in its investigation.
The probe is different from the one involving Saraki’s eight-year tenure as governor of Kwara State.
The letter titled, ‘Investigation activities. Re: Office of the President of the Senate, read in part, “This commission is investigating a case of conspiracy, stealing and money laundering in which the need to obtain certain clarification in respect of transaction carried out in the above mentioned office has become imperative.
“In view of the above, you are kindly requested to avail us with the certified true copies of the following: All cash books, payment vouchers, contract award letters, evidence of contract bidding, agreement and certificate of contract completion from 2015 till date.
“Certified true copies of all financial retirement made within the same period and any other information that may assist the commission in its investigation.”
The letter, it was learnt, was what prompted Saraki to approach the Federal High Court, Abuja, claiming his human rights were being abused.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in turn, granted an ex parte order restraining the commission and five other agencies of the Federal Government from continuing the investigations into certain corruption allegations against Saraki.
The former Senate President said in a letter addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Adamu Abdu-Kafarati, that the bureaucracy of the National Assembly was in charge of approving contracts and not the office of the Senate President.
He wrote, “My Lord, in the National Assembly, the presiding officers or the political leadership does not handle contract awards or financial matters of the federal legislature. The bureaucracy, that is the body we call National Assembly Management, does.
“Thus, this wild goose chase of the EFCC under Mr. Ibrahim Magu in which my office is singled out, while that of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and other presiding officers are left out, is just a continuation of his hidden agenda to wage a war of attrition and campaign of calumny against my person and office.”
Saraki’s letter to the CJ was written in response to a previous protest letter written by the EFCC to the chief judge.
The EFCC, in a letter sent to Abdu-Kafarati, on May 21, accused Justice Taiwo of being biased against it for granting an ex parte order.
In a letter of protest signed by acting EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu, the commission requested the re-assignment of its cases against ex-governors Rochas Okorocha (Imo) and Abdulazeez Yari (Zamfara) and all other ones involving it in the judge’s docket to another judge of the court.
In his own letter, however, Saraki said the EFCC was after him because Magu believed he had a hand in the refusal of the 8th Senate to confirm his appointment.
He claimed Magu visited him in 2016 and begged him to ensure that he was confirmed by the upper legislative chamber.
Saraki added that he explained to Magu that the Department of State Services had, in a letter to the upper chamber of the National Assembly, accused him of corruption and being unfit to hold the office and thus should not be confirmed.
He added, “Your Lordship, Mr. Magu after his nomination, came to see me pleading that I should do my best to help him during the screening process. During that meeting, I made it clear that I had no objection to his nomination and revealed to him, in confidence, that he needed to clear himself with the DSS because the report on him was unfavourable.
“In fact, I bent backwards to let him read the content of the indicting security report submitted on him. Also, I decided to delay the screening to give him ample time to get the DSS to change the report. As it eventually turned out, he was unable to get the adverse DSS report reversed.”
Saraki, who was the Chairman of the 8th National Assembly, said the acting EFCC boss had since been harrassing him.
He said the DSS sent two reports against Magu and it was the belief of the agency that confirming the nomination of such a man would be inimical to the war against corruption.
The former Senate President wrote, “My Lord, Mr. Magu is after me because he feels that as the President of the 8th Senate, I was responsible for the non-confirmation of his appointment, whereas the reason his appointment was not confirmed is all too familiar: an agency of the executive, which nominated him, the DSS, sent two reports to the Senate in which it categorically stated that Magu failed the integrity test, that his confirmation would shackle the EFCC from effectively tackling corruption in the country and hampering the anti-corruption drive of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.”
He said it was in a bid to ensure transparency that the Senate allowed Magu’s screening to be aired live on television.
Saraki, who was governor of Kwara State from 2003 to 2011, urged the CJ to ignore the EFCC’s request even, adding that all the allegations against him were not different from the charges filed before the Code of Conduct Tribunal which were quashed by the Supreme Court.
He said it was funny that of all the agencies which were restrained by the court, it was only the EFCC that was attacking a judicial officer for doing his job among the six defendants.
He argued that this had shown that the commission and its leadership were “unnecessarily mischievous, pugnacious and overzealous.”
He therefore asked the CJ to ignore the EFCC’s petition.
Source: Punchng.com