Wahab Shittu, a lawyer to the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has said his client will no longer condone allegations levelled against him.
Magu is being probed by presidential panel headed by Justice Ayo Salami, a retired judge of the Court of Appeal over allegation of diversion of recovered funds and unauthorised sales of seized assets.
Read Also: Magu Could Not Account For 332 Recovered Properties, Sold Assets To Friends – Presidential Panel
Shittu said this in a statement on Sunday titled, ‘Re: Magu faces questions over assets declaration- Fresh Propaganda Against Our Client Prejudicial to Panel Proceedings’.
The statement was in reaction to media reports that Magu is facing fresh investigation for failing to declare his assets before the Code of Conduct Bureau as required by law.
The lawyer said they were shocked by several false and defamatory imputations not arising from the proceedings of the panel.
He stressed;
Take notice that our client can no longer fold his hands in the face of these sustained malicious attacks to prejudge him in the public space. Our client will henceforth, point by point reply to all false allegations orchestrated against him in the public space on a daily basis as well as present his comprehensive defence for the world to see. This is without prejudice to the willingness of our client to defend himself in the ongoing proceedings at the Presidential Investigation Panel.
Shittu expressed;
Funds recovered from indebted oil marketers on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation were not misappropriated by the commission.
The truth of the matter is that, well over N329bn recovered by the EFCC under our client’s watch was remitted directly into NNPC dedicated accounts via REMITTA under a special arrangement endorsed by the NNPC, the EFCC and the affected NNPC indebted marketers.
He added;
By virtue of the said special arrangement, the NNPC had requested formally the EFCC to recover the said amount from the affected oil marketers who were expected to pay such funds directly to NNPC while the NNPC in turn confirmed receipt of such payments to EFCC.
Therefore, the EFCC never took custody of any of the recovered funds and so, the question of misappropriation of such funds by EFCC or our client could not have arisen as falsely published. This can be independently verified both at the NNPC and the EFCC records.
Shittu stated that the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company LTD, a subsidiary of NNPC had in a letter dated August 17, 2017 with reference number PPMC/MD/254, actually commended the EFCC under Magu’s watch.
He added;
The matter has since been referred for prosecution. Charges have been prepared ahead of arraignment in court. Therefore, the question of complicity by our client does not arise. Our client did not give any express or implied directive that anyone indicted be excluded from the legal process.
Shittu revealed that one Peter Hena, Head of the FIRS Support Services Group, who allegedly authorised the illegal payment, is one of those listed to be arraigned.
