Saharareporters
has obtained further details about the monumental scandal around
billions of naira in Paris Club loan refunds that were brazenly stolen
by state governors, Senate President Bukola Saraki, and Nigerian
businessman Hassan Dambaba, who also holds the traditional title of
Magaji Ngari Sokoto. Mr. Dambaba apparently embezzled as much as N2.5
billion from the Paris/London Club refunds.
Yesterday, Mr.
Dambaba surrendered himself for interrogation by agents of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He was accompanied by a director
of the Department of State Services (DSS). A source said Mr. Dambaba
was acting as a front for Governor Abdulraziz Yariof Zamfara State who
is also the chairman of the Governors' Forum.
Speaking
anonymously with Saharareporters, an EFCC investigator disclosed that
the slush fund, which was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari before
he traveled to London on a prolonged medical vacation, came from a
payment made by one of the state-owned oil companies at NNPC.
The
funds were then used to repay states that claimed the Federal
Government had over-deducted Paris Club repayments from their monthly
allocations over the years.
However, instead of using the money
for paying workers salaries, some top shots of the ruling All
Progressive Congress (APC) decided to convert it into slush fund that
would be used ostensibly to refund some of the party's original funders.
Apart
from state governors who individually pocketed as much as N400m in some
cases, Senate President Bukola Saraki grabbed for himself at least N3.5
billion. One investigator told our correspondent that the senator
converted his haul into dollars and may have laundered the funds through
Dubai and Germany.
A senior EFCC agent disclosed that
anti-corruption officials were on the verge of arresting Mr. Saraki and
his accomplice, a former MD of his late father’s bank, Robert Mbonu. The
source said EFCC operatives paused when they were told to wait until
President Buhari returns from his vacation on February 6. The President
has yet to return.
SaharaReporters learned that Mr. Saraki
also colluded with the Governors' Forum to send N5 billion out of the
funds to multi-billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote. Our source said
where the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, had assisted the
Governors' Forum to have access to the funds.
An EFCC
agent said Mr. Dangote refunded the money as soon as he spotted the
deposit, claiming that he never requested from anyone to deposit funds
in his account. However, a source who initially alerted us to the
scandal said that Mr. Dangote only rejected the money because of the
formal nature of the transaction. He said Mr. Dangote was alarmed when
he was told that the deposit was supposed to be a refund for his funding
of the election of President Buhari.
Mr. Dangote reportedly
declared that, since he did not transfer funds to the APC via a bank
transfer, it would be questionable if he got money through a bank
transfer that was declared a refund. When our reporter contacted Mr. Dangote, he denied that the transaction took place.
Post a Comment