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| Former President Goodluck Jonathan |
Reports:Ademola Oni, Akinpelu Dada, Olalekan Adetayo , and Eniola Akinkuotu.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will on Tuesday (today) arraign Mr. Azibaola Robert, a cousin of former President Goodluck Jonathan, for allegedly receiving a $40m contract from the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
A source at the anti-graft agency told The PUNCH on Monday that Robert would be charged with fraud.
“We have concluded investigations into Robert’s case and the contract he received from Dasuki. He will be arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday alongside his wife,” he said.
The EFCC had, on March 23, 2016, arrested Robert, who is the Managing Director of Kakatar Engineering Company Limited, and an Executive Director of the company, Mr. Dakoru Atukpa, over a $40m pipeline contract they received from the Office of the NSA.
The arrest of Robert and Atukpa was sequel to a list sent to the EFCC by a committee, set up by the Federal Government, to probe contracts awarded by the ONSA from 2011 to 2015.
The panel indicted more than 300 companies and prominent citizens, including serving and retired officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The suspects were said to have diverted $40m public funds through Oneplus Holdings, a sister company of Kakatar Construction and Engineering Company Limited.
The EFCC spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, had said the arrest of Robert was not a witch-hunt but part of investigations into the arms scam.
He added that the suspects had failed to prove that the contract was legitimate.
The commission had asked the suspects to show proof of work done, including receipts of payments made to third parties from the proceeds of the said contract, or in the alternative, return the $40m to government coffers.
In his response, Robert had, in a statement by his lawyer, Mr. Gordy Uche, admitted receiving a $40m contract from the embattled Dasuki.
He had, however, insisted that the Federal Government still owed him $4m, adding that his detention was a witch-hunt because he was a blood relative of Jonathan.
All attempts to get an official reaction from the EFCC regarding Jonathan’s claim that he was being investigated proved abortive on Monday as the spokesman for the agency, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, did not return the calls by The PUNCH on Monday.
A reliable source at the agency, however, told one of our correspondents that Jonathan was a person of interest, adding that there was no intention to arrest the ex-President yet.
The source admitted that Jonathan’s government was already under probe since key players of his administration, including ex-ministers and former military chiefs, were either under probe or were facing trial.
He said, “All prominent persons who has been arrested, including Sambo Dasuki; Olisa Metuh (PDP ex-National Publicity Secretary) and Robert Azibaola (Jonathan’s cousin) have all claimed to have received money based on Jonathan’s approval.
“So, automatically, Jonathan is a person of interest in our investigations and his government is under probe.
“However, there is no plan as of now to arrest him. Whether we will invite him or not depends on the outcome of investigations.”
Meanwhile, Jonathan has said he is aware that he is under investigation by anti-corruption agencies in the country.
The former President said this on Monday during a live interview on Bloomberg Television after delivering a speech at the London’s studios of the media organisation.
Jonathan, who was introduced at the ceremony by the former United Kingdom Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, spoke on his achievements during his five-year presidency.
Though the President did not identify the allegations against him, he however, believed that after the investigation, “all stories would be properly chronicled.”
He said, “Of course, obviously, I will be investigated. I am being investigated. Yes, investigations are going on.
“I wouldn’t want to make certain comments, because when a government is working, it is not proper for the immediate past President to make certain statements. I will allow the government to do the work it is supposed to do. I wouldn’t want to make serious comments on that.
“After all the investigations, all the stories would be properly chronicled. I wouldn’t want to say this or that. It is not a good practice.”
Jonathan also stated that the Buhari administration did not tell the nation the truth by claiming that the latter inherited an empty treasury when it assumed office in May last year.
He said, “That is not true, there is no way he would have inherited an empty treasury and at the same time, gave a bailout to the states. Nigeria has a fairly robust economy but sometimes, we over-politicise certain issues and make things look so bad, but it was not that bad.”
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