Alleged Fraud: Read what Saraki’s backbone did to EFCC

– Dr Kennedy Izuagbe told the court to stop EFCC from harassing him

–  EFCC counsel, Israel Akande, advised the court against granting restraining order

– The court did not fix any date for hearing

Dr Kennedy Izuagbe, has dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before a Federal high court in Lagos, to stop his arrest and detention.

READ ALSO: Supreme Court ruling: CCT set to fix date for Saraki’s trial

According to Sahara Reporters, Izuagbe, who is the managing director of Carlisle Properties Investment Limited, owned by Senate President Bukola Saraki, joined as co-defendants in the legal battle are Director of Operations of EFCC, Olaolu Adegbite and the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

In a statement filed by Mahmud Magaji (SAN), Izuagbe said his fundamental human right should be respected, adding that he was first invited by the anti-graft agency on November 13, 2014, and after serious questioning, he didn’t hear from the EFCC again till April 29, 2015 when he was re-invited.

It was gathered that the anti-graft watch dog asked him to present documents of how Saraki bought his landed properties that Carlisle Property and Investment Limited, manages but he told the EFCC that it is the Senate president himself that can properly explain that.

Izuagbe said he was shocked to read on national dailies how the anti-graft agency has been using media awareness to claim that the portfolio of his company could have been derived from the public service proceed of its beneficial owners.

He said on August 26, 2015, he was in the United States on holiday when he was informed that the EFCC stormed his company’s headquarters with a lorry load of policemen and raided their offices and went away with several documents.

Izuagbe approached the court to obtain an order to stop the EFCC from further threatening and harassing him and the company’s staff.

The EFCC in a counter affidavit sworn to by its lawyer, Israel Akande, filed by Barrister K M A Olusesi, denied all the allegations in Izuagbe’s suit.

The EFCC counsel said the commission is investigating a case of money laundering involving Saraki where it discovered several lodgements of cash and monetary instruments by companies linked to the Senate president and regular cash inflows into his personal account by his aides and other yet to be identified persons totaling N15 billion and another $13 million.

Akande asserted that on October 26, 2009, 88 different persons paid money into Saraki’s account on the same day totaling N80 million and investigation started to find out the sources of the money.

“In the course of investigation, it was discovered that Dr Kennedy Izuagbe was the managing Director of Carlisle Properties and Investment,company that received funds from several individuals and over 150 companies which funds were moved to Dr Bukola Saraki’s accounts and that, DrKennedy Izuagbe acting on behalf of his principal, Dr Bukola Saraki directed that the inflows into the company account be wired offshore to the beneficial owners,” he said.

He said following the investigation being conducted and the allegations levelled against Izuagbe, the commission invited him for questioning in order to ascertain the true nature of things. He said Izuagbe made a voluntary statement and was asked to report back.

Akande further hinted that Izuagbe was allowed to go on compassionate grounds following the death of his mother. He said Izuagbe went underground and all efforts to reach him failed including get him on the phone, therefore obstructing the course of the investigation.

He said the commission obtained a warrant of arrest after all effort to reach him failed. He reiterated that the EFCC has the power to investigate any person, corporate body or organisation that committed any economic or financial crimes.

The legal luminary said preventing the EFCC from further investigations into economic or financial crimes reported to it will send the wrong signals to criminally minded people who may want to violate the law of the land with impunity and hide under court protection. He prayed the court to throw out the request of the applicants.

The court was unable to fix date for a hearing as the two parties were not present when the matter was mentioned.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian senate has reiterated that it will not move from its position concerning the trial of the Senate president, Bukola Saraki by Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). The senate in a statement signed ­­ by Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, chairman senate committee on media and public affairs, maintained that Mr Saraki’s case is not about any fight against corruption but a case of political vendetta.

READ ALSO: Read what Saraki said about dwindling oil revenue

The trial of Saraki has sparked reactions from concerned citizens, especially within the hallowed chambers. Senator Kabiru Marafa, a leader of the Unity Forum, a caucus of All Progressives Congress (APC) urged the Senate president to resign honourably while his corruption trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) continues, before he is disgraced out.

Recently, a human rights lawyer Femi Falana also called for the resignation of Senate President Bukola Saraki, stressing that the resignation is vital to save the face of Nigeria’s legislature.

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