$32bn scam: el-Rufai to be extradited for trial, EFCC begins process

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun moves to extradite former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, from London to face sundry charges bordering on abuse of office and corruption, especially the alleged misappropriation of over $32 billion being proceeds from the sales of Federal Government houses in Abuja.

EFCC Chairman, Mrs Farida Waziri, said on Wednesday in Abuja , that the commission had already filed corruption charges against El-Rufai in a court of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria and the process for his extradition would commence soon. She said the commission was not losing sleep over el-Rufai, and was determined to pursue his case to its logical conclusion.

Contrary to the claim by Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Micheal Aondoakaa, that $150 million out of the $180 million allegedly involved in the Halliburton bribe scandal had been traced to a Swiss bank account, Waziri, who spoke at a media briefing to mark the commission’s sixth anniversary, denied knowledge of the development, just as she dismissed allegations that the money recovered by the EFCC from ex-Inspector General of police, Tafa Balogun, was missing.

Waziri explained that the commission filed corruption charges against el-Rufai after it had established a prima facie case against the former minister, for which he would be extradited to face prosecution despite his resort to blackmailing the Presidency, the National Assembly, and accusing the EFCC of shielding some ex-governors close to President Umaru Yar’Adua

“He has been attacking the National Assembly, the Presidency, as well as the EFCC. But if you notice, he has not answered anything about the National Assembly’s allegation that he demolished peoples’ houses and re-allocated the lands in corrupt manner. Whatever he says, we are not losing sleep over el-Rufai. We’ve filed a case in court and you can only do that when you’ve established a case against a person. We will let you know when the process of extradition commences in the court. Again, we are not shielding ex-governors from prosecution as he is alleging. El-Rufai shouldn’t be afraid to come out and defend himself. This is not the era where you are handcuffed and dragged on the floor, it is an era of the rule of law,” Waziri remarked.

Commenting on the $150million out of the $180million involved in the Halliburton scandal which the AGF, Micheal Aondaoakaa, claimed last week, had been traced to a Swiss bank account, the EFCC boss said: “I don’t know anything about that and there is no correspondence to me to that effect. I was out of the country when this issue came up, and I only read it in the newspapers as well. I am not in a position to answer that question. The AGF is in a position to do so.”

While denying knowledge that two key police investigators in the Halliburton case had recently been redeployed from the anti-graft Commission by the police authorities, she however, gave assurance that investigation into the case was in progress, and the EFCC as well as the Federal Government was favourably disposed to providing the necessary logistics and secured atmosphere for any witness willing to give evidence on the Halliburton scandal, which she described as a sensitive case of international dimension.

She further debunked speculations that the EFCC had submitted on interim report on the Halliburton case to President Yar’Adua. Her words: “I have not submitted any interim report to Mr. President. It is a case I inherited, and I am still working on it. But very soon, I will submit my interim report on it to Mr. President.”

Waziri, who also said investigation on the Siemens case was still ongoing, accused the Vaswani brothers of being inconsistent in their handling of the rice import duties evasion case pending before the EFCC, saying: “This $2.5billion that we asked them to pay, after we had arrested some of the staff, they had agreed to pay, but all of a sudden, they changed their mind and took us to court. We’ve gone very far about the Vaswani brothers; we’ve concluded one leg of the investigation. They only paid for three ships, but a total of six ships came into the country.”

Reacting on her summons by the House of Representatives to appear before it alongside the Inspector General of police, Mike Okiro, over the alleged disappearance of the money recovered by the EFCC from ex-IGP, Tafa Balogun, Waziri asserted that the money was not missing. “This is one of the cases I inherited, but I know that monies recovered are either paid into the consolidated account or the Accountant General. If it is Federal Government money, it is paid into the Central Bank, but others go to the AG’s account.

Now, I am aware that Balogun had appealed to the President to look into his seized assets. There was this police funds for personnel insurance which were also seized from Tafa Balogun. The IGP wrote to the President requesting release of the insurance money for families of deceased officers and the Presidency gave approval,” she explained.

Noting that her greatest challenge was how to secure autonomy for the EFCC, Waziri said she neither needed the consent and approval of the Presidency nor the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute any case which the Commission had concluded investigations and established a case against the suspect, just as she spoke of a robust working relationship between her commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), as well as the Nigeria Police Force.

Reeling out her scorecard since assumption of office nine months ago, Waziri stated that the EFCC under her leadership had recovered over $50billion and as well secured 50 convictions representing one-third of total convictions secured since the establishment of the commission in 2002.

She further disclosed that the commission had targeted a recovery of $120billion for the Federal Government in the next twelve months through Project Eagle-Eye, a special training initiative for officers of the commission, which would lead to tax investigations, amongst other issues.

Reiterating that the anti-corruption war had not lost its steam, Waziri said special challenges from the judiciary had arisen from frivolous and vexatious injunctions restraining the commission from exercising its statutory functions, compelling it to file complaints with the office of the Chief Justice of the Federation and the National Judicial Council in recent times.

The EFCC boss lamented that the bulk of looted funds were routed through the banking sector, but gave assurance that the banks would be sanitized as a first step towards any realistic fight against economic crimes. “They must file transaction reports as and when due; once the banks are no longer a platform for economic crimes, apprehending looters will be easier,” she posited.

She added that “a day hardly passes without the investigation of a high profile case, and there are presently over 200 pending cases in various courts across the country at various stages of prosecution raging from corruption, money laundering, fraud, illegal oil bunkering, and pipeline vandalism, among others.”

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Posted: at 16-04-2009 07:14 PM (14 years ago) | Gistmaniac

sorry sam i really cannot read this one now...brb

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Posted: at 17-04-2009 12:55 AM (14 years ago) | Addicted Hero

ok ooo...

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Posted: at 17-04-2009 12:57 AM (14 years ago) | Addicted Hero

rbest,
i agree with you in some aspect that rule of law is the supremacy of law and no one is above the law, most especially when called upon by the court of law. But it seems that you are taking El rufai case personal which shouldn't be, at least when he was in power , we all gave credit to him, Ribadu,  Akwuili, okonjo iweala, central bank governor to mention but a few who are really doing their jobs. lets wait and give him a chance to defend himself, there is no way you will rule without stepping on toes and at the same time , we are not happy about the corruption going on in Nigeria. its really embarrasing.

Posted: at 17-04-2009 06:42 PM (14 years ago) | Newbie

Waziri, watch ur steps. It may soon be ur turn.

Posted: at 19-04-2009 03:02 AM (14 years ago) | Newbie

Dis so-called humans like us 4 naija don finish that country,but God dey.he go lick their yansh one by one.el rufai make u show face now because u nor go fit hide 4rom EFCC ohhhh.my advice for u be say,e don happen so be aan and show face.........lol

EFCC,ALL DESE MONEY WEY UNA DEY FEEL SAY UNA DEY RECOVER;MAKE UNA KNOW SAY 1 DAY UNA TURN GO REACH IF UNA NOR LET US ACNOWLEDGE THE MONEY OHHHH;NOR BE TO DEY FIGHT PPLE WEY DON DO THEIR THING THEIR OWN WAY SUCEED THEN EFCC SAY MAKE DEM VOMIT THE MONEY:WE PRAY SHAA FOR THAT COUNTRY NIGERIA:AMEN

Posted: at 20-04-2009 08:28 AM (14 years ago) | Newbie

you are nothing but a liar

Posted: at 21-04-2009 09:01 AM (14 years ago) | Newbie

which way nigeria, which way to go? our leaders don make the youth suffer so much , we nor fit cry again, what is happening in nigeria nor they happen for other third world countries, by the way what is the social responsibility to nigeria commercial bank? like where i dey here now bank they build houses when citizen they buy pay small small for ten years , but our bank rich pass most bank here yet them nor  help the citizen feel ok,firstly if you get job today you are entittle to car loan from the bank, house laon etc. but nigeria banking sectors nor they try at all, na to they help the bad and criminal leaders like obj and the rest to steal help then send money abroad , why we they nigeria they suffer , my brother make u now try travelled make u now see waitin our leaders turn us to . we are like sheep without shepard.
 i pray make God they take the life of corrupt leader just like abacha case. well he go soon better if we stop stealing the public  funds.

Posted: at 21-04-2009 11:22 AM (14 years ago) | Newbie

  hahahaahaahaahah    ;Dhahaahahaahahahaha ;Dhahaahahahahahahahaa ;Dhahaahahahahahahaa ;Dhahahahahahaahhaa ;Dsomebody shuld help me oooo i wan die 4 laff hereoooooo  hahahahhaahahaha

Posted: at 22-04-2009 12:45 PM (14 years ago) | Gistmaniac

u r self just shine ur eyes b4 u go join Waziri 4her own turn

Posted: at 22-04-2009 01:09 PM (14 years ago) | Gistmaniac