More troubles await the embattled ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has perfected plans to file fresh charges against him on Monday.
Besides, SUNDAY PUNCH authoritatively gathered that the anti-graft agency is in the final stage of a discreet investigation into allegations that the former Speaker laundered $1bn through domiciliary accounts and diverted funds into his personal account from the budgetary allocations to the House.
Bankole is presently in the EFCC custody after Justice Donatus Okorowo of a Federal High Court in Abuja last Friday ordered that he be remanded until Monday when ruling on his bail application would be delivered.
The judge gave the order after listening to the pro and against arguments on the bail application by Bankole’s lawyer, Mr. Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), and the prosecution counsel representing the EFCC, Mr. Festus Keyamo.
The EFCC pressed a 16-count charge bearing on contract inflation amounting to N894m against Bankole.
The bail application notwithstanding, the anti-graft commission has gone ahead to prepare new charges bordering on alleged misappropriation of government funds.
SUNDAY PUNCH learnt on Saturday that the 16-count charge against Bankole at the High court was a child’s play compared to what is going to happen in the coming days.
A reliable EFCC source who refused to mention the number of fresh charges, insisted that the charges would come this week, even as she described the defence put up by Bankole’s lawyers as “panicky and funny.”
She said, “His lawyers are saying N10b loan was used by the former House to increase the quarterly allocations of its non-principal officers from N28m to N42m. That is false. Their quarterly allocation was increased in March 2010 and last year’s budget took care of that increase.
“How come they needed to obtain the N10b loan if the increase in their allowance was already taken care of? Was that necessary? Two days before obtaining the N10bn loan, we discovered that another N15.38bn was obtained. So we are talking about N25.38bn and not N10bn.”
SUNDAY PUNCH further gathered that investigations into Bankole’s alleged laundering of $1bn are in the final stage.
The source said, “We are almost through with our report into the $1bn money laundering allegation. But I can tell you that it’s just a minute part of our investigations. The monies involved are more than that. What the public knows is just a small percentage of our investigations but revealing it at this stage is tantamount to letting the cat out of the bag.”
Adding that the ex-speaker’s prosecution would be in stages, the source who confided to our correspondent said, “We are going to treat all the cases differently. Inasmuch as we don’t want a protracted trial, we also don’t want to muddle up the cases together. Don’t forget that we still have some investigations on him that we have not concluded. So even after filing fresh charges on Monday, we may add more to the new ones if need be when we stumble on substantial evidence.”
In the suit filed by Keyamo last Tuesday, the commission said Bankole and other principal officers of the House ‘now at large’ hiked the cost of vehicles, television sets and office equipment purchased by the House in 2008.
It said the items comprised three Mercedes Benz S-600, two Range Rover SUVs, 400 television sets, 100 units of photocopying machines, computer units, scanners and other accessories.
The commission, in the charge sheet with reference No.FHC/ABJ/CR/47/11, said the action contravened some sections of the Public Procurement Act No. 14 of 2007.
EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Babafemi, had said, “The other two deals for which Bankole is being quizzed are the N10bn loan which the former House used to increase the quarterly allocations of its non-principal officers from N28m to N42m and the alleged mismanagement of its N9bn budget for 2008/2009.”
However, the embattled ex-Speaker has raised the alarm that the anti-graft agency has perfected plans to clamp down on his family members.
The former speaker, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Bakare, accused the commission of subjecting him to psychological torture by refusing him access to his lawyers and family members “since he was abducted last Sunday night.”
Also, Bankole has raised the alarm over plans by the EFCC to re-arrest him.
The ex-Speaker’s lawyer in a letter to the anti-graft agency, said he heard from competent sources that the EFCC had perfected plans to re-arrest him immediately he was admitted to bail by the court on Monday.
Bankole was arrested in his Asokoro, Abuja residence by about 10 operatives of the commission in a room where he had locked up himself after the withdrawal of his police orderlies.
He was said to have resisted arrest by the operatives the penultimate Friday, promising to turn himself in by 2pm on Monday after allegedly making frantic telephone calls to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim.
The EFCC had launched an investigation into Bankole’s activities following a petition from a group, Youth Anti-Corruption League.
The group had called on the commission to investigate the N10bn loan controversy, Bankole’s role in the N2.3bn car scam, and the mismanagement of the N9bn capital budget of the House for 2008/2009.
By Toyosi Ogunseye Courtesy Of: Punch
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