As politicians heighten campaigns ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has said it is closely monitoring the spending patterns of top politicians in order to forestall a situation where they would use funds to influence the electoral process.

Abdulrasheed Bawa, the chairman of the EFCC, said the commission is being careful not to invite some of them for questioning in order not to be misconstrued as political witch-hunting.

He confirmed that there are a number of petitions already before the commission against some key political figures which the anti-graft agency is critically looking into currently.

Confirming the development on Thursday, December 15, 2022, while featuring at the weekly briefings coordinated by the Presidential Media Team at the State House, Abuja, he said the Petitions Vetting Desk/Committee of EFCC, comprising experienced officers from the Legal Department as well as those trained to investigate such petitions are currently reviewing these petitions with a view to seeing whether they have merits that will warrant prosecution.

According to Bawa, the EFCC is working on every petition directed to it to establish the veracity of such petition, stressing that the anti-graft agency which he leads is poised to work for the interest of Nigerians without fear or favour.

Asked if EFCC has received any petition against any of the 18 presidential candidates jostling to occupy the presidency by 2023, Bawa simply responded saying: “My concern is, at this hour, do you want us to start inviting all the presidential candidates to come to our office to make statements? You, the same media, will say it’s politically motivated.

“So we are not, but we are working behind the scene regarding such petitions we have received to see those that have merits, so that’s why we are not politicizing it.

“That’s another reason why we have what we call Petitions Vetting Desk/Committee made up of experienced officers from the Legal Department as well as those trained to investigate that will review these petitions to see whether they are in line with our own mandate before they will recommend whether they will be prosecuted by the EFCC.

“There are also benchmarks, so to speak, that guide our procedures, you know, in terms of accepting or rejecting petitions, as we also have criteria which have even been publicised to guide petitioners on the requirements to make a petition to have merit.”

Court Orders EFCC To Refund N124 Million To Oil Firm Wrongly Accused Of Subsidy Scams

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to return the sum of N124 million to an oil company that was wrongly accused of engaging in subsidy scam.

The court, in a judgement that was delivered by Justice S.C. Oriji, quashed 11-count charge the anti-graft agency preferred against the company and its Directors, Abiodun Ponnle and Adetoye Adegbite.

Justice Oriji held that the prosecution failed to establish the allegation that the defendants discharged 6,784.921 metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, as opposed to the 14,208.908 metric tons over which subsidy was paid.

According to the court, evidence before it established that the volume of PMS that was discharged by Mr Ponnle and Mr Adegbite, through their company, Origin Oil & Gas Ltd, at the Lister Jetty Terminal, was 14,208.908 metric tons.

It will be recalled that the EFCC had moved against some oil marketers, including the defendants, for allegedly claiming and processing excess subsidy payment that was far more than what was legitimately due to them.

In a bid to recover the alleged excess subsidy payment, the EFCC entered a criminal charge marked CR/50/2016, against the defendants.

The charge was later amended on March 24, 2017, while the defendants pleaded not guilty before trial Justice Oriji on March 30, 2017.

Specifically, the charge against them bordered on criminal conspiracy, conspiracy to obtain money under false pretence and obtaining money under false pretence, contrary to Section 1(i) (a) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and Section 97 of the Penal Code Act; as well as the offence of forgery and using of forged document as genuine, contrary to Sections 364 and 366 of the Penal Code Act.

Determined to nail the defendants to the charge, the prosecution, which closed its case on February 19, 2020, called a total of five witnesses that testified before the court.

On their part, the defendants, entered a no-case-submission, insisting that EFCC failed to adduce sufficient efficient capable of ensuring their conviction before any competent court.

They contended that the proof of evidence did not establish a prima-facie case against them.

However, the court, while dismissing the no-case-submission on November 10, 2020, ordered the defendants to open their defence.

Following the order of the court, the defendants called four witnesses that included the 1st defendant who testified as the DW3 and a forensic expert.

In his judgement on the matter, Justice Oriji, held that the prosecution failed to by way of a convincing evidence, prove the allegations it levelled against the defendants, beyond a reasonable doubt.

Consequently, the court discharged and acquitted the defendants of the 11-count charge against them.

It directed that the sum of N124 million recovered from the defendants during the course of investigation, be returned to them on/before December 31, 2022; the defendants, having not been found guilty of any of the offences contained in the amended charge.

Source: Daily Post