The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has
arrested two directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN for alleged forex
manipulation and economic sabotage.
Sources at the EFCC told PUNCH on Wednesday that the
directors were still in custody as of press time at 7.30pm.
It was learnt that the investigation into the CBN officials
activities sent shockwaves round the apex bank.
The detective said the houses of the directors had been
searched while incriminating evidence had been recovered.
A source at the EFCC, who wished to remain anonymous said,
“We have arrested two directors of the CBN in connection with forex
manipulation. We believe that it was the activities of these individuals that
contributed to the dollar scarcity and the weakening of the naira.
“Ironically, immediately we started investigating these
chaps a month ago, the CBN reeled out a new forex policy which sought to flood
the market with excess dollar and strengthen the naira.
“Already, we have searched their houses and recovered some
sensitive documents. We have reason to believe that they may not have acted
alone. We expect to make more discoveries as investigations continue.”
When contacted, the Acting Director, Corporate
Communications Department, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor, said no director of the
apex bank had been arrested by the EFCC.
He said, “This is not true. No director of the bank (CBN)
has been arrested by the EFCC. The current activities of the CBN in the forex
market is a result of months of study, monitoring and planning to tackle the
activities of black marketers.
“We are succeeding and Nigerians are happy with us. No
amount of false rumours and concoctions to ridicule and sabotage the success we
have achieved will make us lose our focus at this time.”
Meanwhile, the EFCC has dispatched letters to several aides
and persons linked to Senate President Bukola Saraki for their alleged role in
the N19bn illegally deducted from the N522bn Paris Club refund.
About N3.5bn out of the stolen N19bn was said to have been
traced to Saraki and several persons close to him, an EFCC report had said.
A top source at the EFCC told one of our correspondents that
letters had been dispatched to the indicted persons and some were billed to
report at the EFCC office on Thursday (today).
A detective said, “I can confirm to you that letters have
been dispatched to aides to the Senate President. Some will appear on Thursday
(today) while others will appear on subsequent days depending on the outcome
and pace of investigations.”
Some of the persons invited by the anti-graft agency
included Saraki’s Deputy Chief of Staff and a former lawmaker, Gbenga
Makanjuola; Obiora Amobi and Oladapo Joseph Idowu.
Others are Mr. Kolawole Shittu, and a former Managing
Director of Saraki’s defunct bank, Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, and
current boss of Melrose General Services Limited, Mr. Robert Mbonu; and the
Relationship Manager to the Senate President in Access Bank, Kathleen Erhimu.
Melrose General Services is one of the companies hired as
consultants by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
The firm got N3.5bn as consultancy fees while other
companies shared about N15.5bn, PUNCH reports.
When asked why Saraki was singled out for investigation, the
source said, “No one is victimising the man. He is an easier target because he
has no immunity unlike the governors most of whom still have immunity till
2019.
“The investigation is holistic and in due course everyone
found culpable will face justice.”
Recall that the Federal Government had in December 2016
approved the sum of N522.74bn to be paid to the 36 states of the federation as
part of the reimbursement for the over-deduction on the Paris Club loan from
1995 and 2002.
The EFCC had sometimes in January discovered that the Paris
loan refunds were illegally routed through the account of the NGF by the CBN.
Upon receiving the funds, the NGF in an alleged connivance
with Saraki, began remitting huge sums to private consultants who then
laundered about N19bn.
The EFCC report sent to the Presidency states in part, "Suffice to apprise that all payments received by Melrose General Services
Company from the NGF have hitherto been diverted directly via cash withdrawals
and indirectly through transfers by Hon. Gbenga Peter Makanjuola, Kolawole
Shittu and Oladapo Joseph Idowu who are principal aides of the Senate
President.
"Furthermore, other payments from Melrose General Services
Company have also been linked to companies that Dr. Bukola Saraki has interest
in and carries out transactions with.
"This includes the sum of $183,000 which was transferred to
Bhaska Devji Jewellers, Dubai, a company Dr. Bukola Saraki had repeatedly made
payments to.
"Also, the sum of N200m was transferred to Wasp Networks
Limited that subsequently transferred the sum of N170m to Xtract Energy
Services Limited, a company that routinely made deposits into Dr. Saraki’s
Access Bank US dollar Domiciliary account."
The reports concludes that a prima facie case of conspiracy
to retain the proceeds of unlawful activities and money laundering contrary to
Sections 15(3) and 18(9) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2004 can be
established against the aforementioned suspects.
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