The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission is intensifying investigation on ex-Governor of Akwa Ibom
State, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, Fidelis Chidi blog has learnt.
The EFCC is investigating allegations that the former governor embezzled N108bn during his tenure between 2007 and 2015.
Already, the anti-graft agency had
written to five banks demanding information on Akwa Ibom State finances
under Akpabio’s administration.
Similarly, the EFCC is making moves to
invite key members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and serving
commissioners, many of whom served during the ex-governor’s
administration.
A source at the EFCC said, “We have
written to Zenith Bank, Keystone Bank, FCMB, Skye Bank, and UBA
demanding information on the state’s accounts. We are also inviting the
accountant-general, the auditor-general, the Speaker and the clerk of
the House of Assembly. We have traced some houses to the former governor
in Lagos and Abuja and it is just a matter of time before we seize
them.”
Akpabio was first quizzed by the commission’s detectives last year following series of petitions written against him.
The former governor, now the Senate
Minority Leader, was accused of embezzling public funds while he was
governor of the oil-rich state.
In March 2013, he was accused of giving
N1m each to six chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party from the
South-South geopolitical zone that had converged on Port Harcourt for a
party reconciliation session, telling them to use the money to “buy Mr
Biggs.”
Few weeks ago, the Akwa Ibom State
government had gone to a state High Court to get an interim order
barring the EFCC from investigating Akpabio’s administration.
The Justice Ntong Ntong-led court on
July 15 granted an interim injunction, restraining the EFCC, the
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, and
the Inspector General of Police from investigating the finances of the
Akwa Ibom State government.
The suit was filed on behalf of the
state government by the state Attorney-General, Uwemedimo Nwoko, who
also served under Akpabio and is believed to be loyal to the former
governor.
However, following a motion on notice
filed by the EFCC, the court on Friday, vacated the order of interim
injunction restraining the EFCC from investigating the accounts of
state.
The judge then adjourned the matter till
October 19 for hearing of the preliminary objection of the EFCC
alongside other applications.
In a June 22, 2015 petition to EFCC, an
Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpenyong had accused Akpabio of
sheer waste in office.
Among several other allegations, the
petitioner alleged that between January and December 2014, the trio of
Godswill Akpabio, a former aide to the governor and another associate
made illegal but substantial withdrawals of cash from a designated state
government-owned account with Zenith Bank with account number
101037588, amounting to N22.1bn.
When contacted on the telephone on
Saturday, Akpabio’s spokesman, Mr. Aniete Ekong, said he was in a public
place and promised to call back. However, he had yet to do so as of the
time of filing this report.
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