Top on the list is the former president Goodluck Jonathan. EFCC may write the former President Goodluck Jonathan in connection with the scandal, the Punch reports.
Goodluck Jonathan had consistently been a source of refrence in the interrogation of some suspects while Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) former national security adviser also claimed to have disbursed funds based on the instruction of the former president.
Two weeks ago, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala the former minister of finance also claimed to have transferred money to the former NSA as a result of a decision reached at a meeting presided over by Jonathan.
”Although the commission will not invite the former President, we may write him to tell us his own side of the story because his name has been coming up in our investigations,”An EFCC source said.
The source said the commission would not need to seek clearance from President Muhammadu Buhari before sending the letter.
Those to be invited by EFCC for further questioning on the arms deal include government officials and some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party:, Tony Anenih, former Board of Trustees chairman of the party, Bode George, former deputy national chairman who were alleged to have received part of the funds meant for arms procurement.
The EFCC explained that the invitation as an operational procedure of the commission to invite all those indicted in the process of the investigation.
As EFCC beams its searchlight on more culprits, the House of Representatives ad hoc committee is also probing suspicious transfer of N1.17bilion to another account approved for a federal government agency.
The committee is seeking answers to why the immediate past minister of finance and coordinating minister for the economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, reversed a presidential directive which approved the money for the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority (SRRBA), the Nation reports.
The committee wants adequate explanations to the following questions raised in the course of its investigation: Who applied for the withdrawal since payment was initiated through an application by the SRRBDA?, how a ministerial directive can override a presidential approval, where the money was returned to after it was withdrawn from the account of the Authority; and whether the withdrawal was politically motivated given the time of the withdrawal.
The committee plans to invite the ex-minister over her release of $330m Abacha loot to the office of the national security adviser without appropriation.
Investigation reveled that loan for arms procurement, later turned out to be part of the cash being distributed to politicians and friends of that government before the last general election.
”President Goodluck Jonathan, in a letter, approved the release of the money to the River Basin Authority. The approval was conveyed to the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) by the (then) minister of finance, according to the office of the AGF.
”The payment was made into the accounts of the SRRBDA on March 9 but withdrawn in two tranches within a week, two months later in May.
”The first withdrawal of N784m was made on 6th May, 2015. The second, N90m, was effected on 12th May 2015 but executed on 16th May 2015 by the CBN.
”Only N874.6million was withdrawn by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from the account of SRRBDA because the agency had started spending the money,” The Nation’s report reads.
Another drama that trailed the arms’ shady deal is the indictment of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN).
Goodluck Jonathan’s administration reportedly paid over N120 million as compensation to newspaper companies for the unlawful seizure of their newspapers and stoppage of circulation by armed soldiers in several cities across the country in June 2014.
In order to protect its corporate integrity, the management of The Sun Publishing Limited, in an advertorial published on its front page claimed it has returned the N9 million received from the presidency through the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN).
The statement released in this regard and signed by its managing director/editor-in- chief, Eric Osagie states;
”After the unlawful action of the military, to which The Sun lost millions of naira, we had signified the intention to commence litigation against the Federal Government along with other affected newspaper companies.”
”However, at the level of the NPAN, which The Sun is a member, a decision was collectively taken to accept the Presidency’s offer of peaceful settlement in place of litigation in the interest of peace and national security.”
”We were later informed of the payment of N120 million compensation out of which the sum of N9 million was paid to The Sun Management by the NPAN.”
”At the time the compensation was paid, we had no inkling whatsoever under which expenditure sub-head in the Presidency the fund was sourced and that it was allegedly part of the funds meant for the purchase of arms.’’
”In the light of the foregoing, we are forwarding the cheque of N9 million received from the NPAN for onward return to the source through which it came.”
The era where those accused or being prosecuted for money laundering often seek soft landing may be over as the federal government has hinted that it will longer accept frivolous plea bargain option being contemplated by some of the suspects now standing trial.
The federal government is rather more interested in recovering all funds stolen by the top politicians and their cronies under the guise of arms purchase.
Speaking with Vanguard, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, (SAN) said such plea bargain allows looters to go away with stolen public assets.
”Let me just make it clear to all that under the present administration, it is no longer business-as-usual. As at today, a lot of measures are being put in place to recover the loot which a few privileged Nigerians stole and stashed away.
”It is an article of obligation under the law of the Federal Government of Nigeria to convict the looters and recover the amount traced to each of them to show the disdain that this government has for corruption and to serve as a warning signal that nobody is authorised to steal the commonwealth of Nigerians under any guise,” he said.
According to him, the fifth schedule of the Nigerian Constitution has pushed the burden of proof from the government to those who looted the funds to prove their source of wealth and why they should not be jailed.
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