Jul.11, 2010

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has summoned the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, over an alleged indictment in a money laundering scam.

He is billed to face interrogation tomorrow, Monday, at the commission’s office in Abuja.

Commission’s spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi confirmed the invitation of the former governor for questioning.

It was gathered that fresh intelligence report from abroad linked the former governor to an alleged laundering of 300,000 US dollars {about N45 million} from the proceeds of the sale of Akwa Ibom shares in the then V-mobile.

The said sum was said to have been unlawfully moved out of the country through 22 companies.

It was gathered that the main company that was allegedly used as the coordinating point for the alleged money laundering, African Development Funds Incorporated, had changed its name four times to hide its identity as the alleged scam was being probed both in Britain and Nigeria.

Sunday Tribune further learnt that as at 2002 when the alleged infraction was perpetrated, the alleged coordinating company was not registered in Nigeria.

As the telecommunications firm went through various ownership stages, the controversial sale of the shares of Delta, Lagos and Akwa Ibom States had been a subject of probe both at home and abroad, with former governors Attah, Bola Tinubu of Lagos and James Ibori of Delta coming under the radar of the anti-corruption commission.

The sale of the shares, totaling $38 million (about N6.1 billion) was probed by both Britain and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, though no public disclosure was made on the commission’s findings.

In September last year, former attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, SAN and EFCC had engaged in a battle of wits over the probe of the three former governors, with the former claiming publicly that they had been cleared over the alleged scam, while the commission claimed otherwise.

Aondoakaa also told media men then that he refused to cooperate with Britain on the matter because a letter signed by EFCC Chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri, had cleared the trio.

The controversial letter became a subject of probe, ordered by the late president, Umaru Yar’Adua, with the commission’s claim that it was forged.

Tinubu, in a paid advertorial also put a lie to the claim of the former minister on his clearance, saying that he was not under any probe in the first place and that he would be ready for any inquest into the sale of Lagos State shares in the troubled firm.

The trio were said to have hired ADF Inc. a private firm, to sell their states’ shares.

Despite the commission’s insistence, Aondoakaa stuck to his gun that they had been cleared.

Speaking through his then spokesperson, Mr. Taye Akinyemi, he said: “If EFCC says that the ex-governors have not been cleared on the issue of the professional fee paid to the ADFI, we won’t join issues with the commission.

“But I want to think that the EFCC chairman was misquoted.

“What I believed the EFCC chairman could have said was that they have been cleared on this issue of the professional fees paid to the ADFI that does not mean that other investigations on other issues are not on-going.

“Nevertheless, I can’t see any conflict in what the AGF has said and what EFCC is saying.

“The issue in question is the professional fee and brokerage paid by these ex-governors to ADFI with respect to the sale of the shares owned by their respective states in V-Mobile

“The press statement issued by my boss on the case relates to the issue of the professional fees paid by them to the ADFI, which is the subject-matter of criminal litigation before the London court.

“He has said that the Federal Government would refuse prosecution of any Nigerian before a London court on offences which ingredients are domiciled in Nigeria.

“In this case, the Metropolitan Police are before the London Court against ADFI on the grounds that the professional fees paid by the three ex-governors to it are proceeds of crime (money laundering).

“And the fact of this case is that the issue of the professional fees paid to ADFI has been investigated in Nigeria by EFCC and those involved have been cleared.

“The court case by EFCC, started in Nigeria against the ADFI itself, has been withdrawn by the  EFCC upon its discovery that no prima facie case stood against the incorporation.”