Revealed : Magu Unable To Account For Interest Generated From N550bn Cash Recovered From 2015 to 2020.

A prior presidential panel, which investigated the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, indicted him, a report published by the News Agency of Nigeria has alleged.

The report, according to NAN, noted that the embattled EFCC boss had been unable to account for the interest generated from N550bn cash recovered from 2015 to 2020.

The panel is separate from the panel led by a former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, which is currently probing Magu and other top officials of the agency.

report by the Presidential Probe Panel has revealed details of how the suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, allegedly used a cleric to launder funds abroad.

Magu is currently being interrogated by the panel headed by retired Justice Ayo Salami over allegations of mismanagement and lack of transparency in managing recovered assets by the commission.

A copy of the report seen on Saturday in Abuja said one Pastor Emmanuel Omale of Hand of God Prophetic Ministry was used by Magu in laundering the funds.
Omale’s name was uncovered through an investigative report on EFCC’s activities by the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and mentioned in the final report of the Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets (PCARA).

According to the report, the unknown cleric is alleged to have bought a landed property on behalf of Magu worth N573 million in Dubai, United Arab Emirate.

“Another individual, who is helping in laundering funds for the Acting Chairman and who has been referred to in several petitions, is one Pastor Emmanuel Omale (Hand of God Prophetic Ministry).

“He is reported to have travelled to Dubai with Mr Magu and his name was used in purchasing property in Dubai for Mr Magu.

“As an unknown pastor, the NFIU report showed huge movement of funds ranging from N573,228,040.41,’’ the report said.

Efforts had been intensified to expose the real identity of the Pastor with a view to arraigning him for prosecution, if found culpable.

On the Diezani Alison Madueke case, the PCARA Report accused Magu of failure to cooperate with authorities in the United Kingdom to facilitate effective prosecution of the case.

“In the Diezani Alison Madueke case, the Acting Chairman is failing to further cooperate with the UK NCA to enable them charge the former minister to court in the UK.

“The Acting Chairman, despite his knowledge that Mrs Madueke will not be extradited to Nigeria until after her trial in the UK, has consistently been accusing the UK government on the pages of print and electronic media of not wanting to extradite her to Nigeria,’’ the report maintained.

Magu was also accused of deliberately refusing to provide documentary evidence that would make the office of the nation’s Attorney-General to commence the extradition process of Diezani Madueke.

“This has strained the EFCC relationship with Europe most strategic partner,’’ the report further observed.

Magu, who is being held at the Police headquarters, Abuja, is expected to reappear before the Salami probe panel on Monday, to defend himself against several allegations
The report titled, ‘Final Report of the Presidential Investigation Committee on the EFCC Federal Government Recovered Assets and Finances from May 2015 to May 2020’ was obtained by the Federal Government-owned News Agency of Nigeria.

The report read in part, “Failure to report on the interest on actual lodgements clearly establishes that the interest element of over N550bn has been re-looted relating to the period under review.

“This is an apparent case of manipulation of data in a very brazen and unprofessional manner and this has greatly eroded the public confidence in the anti-corruption efforts.”
The panel said it was quite disturbing that conflicting figures were being circulated in the public space by the EFCC as the amount of recovered funds.

It said these inconsistencies cast serious doubt on the accuracy of figures submitted by the EFCC.

The committee said it was of the view that the EFCC could not be said to have fully accounted for cash recoveries made by it, noting that there were discrepancies between what the embattled chairman reported and the lodgements the commission made.
It added, “It must be pointed out that the discrepancy of more than N31bn does not include interest accrued in this account since it was opened.
It therefore cast serious doubt on the credibility of the figures and means that substantial amount of money has not been accurately accounted for.”

NAN observed that the report had also confirmed the concerns of the public about contradictory recovery figures emanating from Magu.
The Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets revealed how the investigative reports on EFCC’s activities by the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit exposed acts of corruption and money laundering against some EFCC officials, including Magu.

The report added, “The NFIU reports established that the acting chairman has been using different sources to siphon money from the EFCC.

“The report has shown that a particular Bureau de Change, owned by Ahmed Shanono linked to the acting chairman based in Kaduna, has more than 158 accounts and has been receiving huge sums of funds.”