The suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has written a letter to the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel, explaining the allegation on illegal auctioning of recovered vehicles.
Magu explained how some of the recovered vehicles were auctioned ‘Re: Alleged Case of Conspiracy, Enrichment, Abuse of Public Office and Other Infractions.’
In the letter, Magu explained that some of the vehicles recovered by the EFCC were autioned to the Presidential Villa, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development as well as the Federal Inland Revenue Services and other agencies.
He added that some of these agencies had not paid for the vehicles, but there is arrangement that the money would be deducted from their financial allocation.
The letter was a response to an earlier report by the Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets in which Magu was accused of being unable to account for the interest approximate N550bn recovered funds, vehicles and houses.
In responding to the allegation of being unable to account for recovered vehicles, Magu said, “On allocation of vehicles to some government agencies through special auction with presidential approval. The beneficiary agencies are: The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management of which the valued price is to be debited from their allocation; State House, National Commission for Refugees and Displaced Persons; Federal Inland Revenue Service and National Directorate of Employment.”
He also stated that about 450 other vehicles, which had been recovered, had yet to be sold, despite receiving presidential approval to do so.
In his words, “The commission presently has presidential approval to dispose over 450 forfeited vehicles located in Lagos and Abuja. The vehicles have been valued by the National Automotive Council Valuers and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. But no sale/disposal has been conducted yet,”
The suspended EFCC boss said some of the houses permanently forfeited to the Federal Government by looters had also been handed over to some government agencies like the Voice of Nigeria, North-East Development Commission as well as Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate.
Magu went further that some other properties, which had been forfeited pending the outcome of court cases, were being rented by the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Nigerian Army and other government agencies.
Other part of the letter read, “Real properties finally forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria and allocated to some agencies for official use in line with the Presidential approval are: Voice of Nigeria, National Directorate of Employment, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, North East Development Commission and Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate.
“Properties under interim forfeiture order are rented by the following government agencies: Nigerian Army, Federal Ministry of Finance, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
“Other agencies of government that have approached the commission to rent properties under interim forfeiture order include: National Human Rights Commission and National Council for Arts and culture.”
Magu added that the commission also temporary handed over property in Lagos to the Lagos State Government for use as isolation centres for COVID-19 patients.
He then attached photographs of some of the recovered assets to the letter he addressed to the panel.
However, The Punch reported that an attempt to submit the letter to the panel by Magu’s lawyer, Wahab Shittu, on Monday claimed futile.
The Panel was said to have insisted that there was not need for the letter and informed Shittu that Magu would be summoned if the panel need clarification for anything.
“An attempt to submit the letter to the secretary of the panel on Monday failed. Magu’s team was informed that the panel does not entertain letters but it is purely an investigative one. If there is a need for clarification, Magu would be invited,” a source said.
