EFCC is perfecting plans to arraign top officials of INEC, including the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo and oil chiefs implicated in the N23.29b poll bribery scam in court soon.It was also gathered that charges might also be preferred against ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke who allegedly coordinated the huge bribery of poll officials in order to alter 2015 presidential election results.
There are indicators that the main source of the bribe sum may have been traced to proceeds of stolen crude oil.
Speaking with Ripples on Monday, a highly placed source who gave insights into the ongoing investigation by the EFCC said the probe of the bribery has reached an “appreciable level.”
Pressed further, the source said: “We are digging into the main source of the bribe cash. Our operatives have discovered that the $115 million was from the proceeds of stolen crude oil. They got it through a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.
“We will uncover how they came about stolen crude oil and those used to siphon the oil in order to deny the nation of hard-earned revenue.
“Our operatives are presently on the trail of members of the cartel behind the theft of crude.
“We have blocked all the accounts of all the INEC officials, bank officials and oil chiefs connected with the poll bribery scandal.”
In a related development, the embattled Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Cross River State, Mrs. Gesil Khan who was granted administrative bail on Sunday is however expected to report at the EFCC office on Tuesday as part of the conditions for the administrative bail.
Others have also been granted bail accordingly pending the commencement of their trial.
“In line with her bail terms, the EFCC has directed her to be reporting to its office on schedule dates agreed with her.”
On the owners of the oil firms allegedly involved in the scandal, the top EFCC source added: “We have quizzed only Leno Adesanya but it is apparent that we have to arrest others this week because they have refused to show up for interrogation.
“Certainly, we are closing in on more suspects whom we will pick up before the week runs out.”
The EFCC, it was gathered is finalising plans to arraign some suspects on the bribery scam.
Those penciled for trial are Diezani (in absentia), the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo and the bank’s Head of Operations, Martin Izuogbe; Gesil Khan for collecting N185, 842,000 out of a N681million bribe deal; Fidelia Omoile (Electoral Officer in Isoko-South Local Government Area of Delta State; Uluochi Obi Brown (INEC’s Administrative Secretary in Delta State); a former Deputy Director of INEC in Cross River state, Edem Okon Effanga and the Head of Voter Education in INEC in Akwa Ibom, Immaculata Asuquo.
The source added: “Very soon, we will arraign them in court. Some of them have admitted that they shared out of the bribe sum. Having recovered more than N408.7million from some of the beneficiaries of the slush funds, we are set for trial.
“As for the bank, it even refunded N49.7m profit made from the deal. With this, the culpability of the bank is not doubtful at all.
“Since we have blocked or frozen some accounts, we can recover these ill-gotten cash through court process”, the source revealed. (RN)