•EX-CBN gov may face multiple money laundering charges, anti-graft agency probes corporate organisations, individuals
•Commission says investigation independent of Obazee’s report
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has written to over 85 entities comprising corporate organisations and individuals over an ongoing investigation into alleged fraudulent foreign exchange allocations under the embattled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
It was gathered that Emefiele might face an amended charge to include new discoveries in the ongoing probe of forex transactions under his probe.
The anti-graft agency has also summoned senior officials of the affected entities and mandated them to provide detailed documents of their foreign exchange transactions covering the last nine years.
Though Sunday PUNCH could not independently verify the details of the 85 other companies affected by the ongoing investigation, however, the Dangote Group and BUA Plc top the list as gathered by our correspondent on Saturday.
A top EFCC source revealed that the commission’s investigation was comprehensive, deeper, and encompassing, and independent of the report of the special investigator appointed by President Bola Tinubu to probe the CBN, Jim Obazee.
The source disclosed exclusively to Sunday PUNCH that Emefiele would face fresh charges by the EFCC over the ongoing foreign exchange probe.
Operatives of the EFCC had on Thursday stormed the headquarters of Dangote Industries Limited in Ikoyi, Lagos, and the BUA Towers located at PC 32, Churchgate Street, Victoria Island, Lagos State, in furtherance of the ongoing investigation into the alleged abuse of the foreign exchange allocations by Emefiele.
While officials of the Dangote Group confirmed the raid and stated that they were cooperating with the anti-graft agency by supplying relevant documents, BUA insisted that its offices were not raided by EFCC operatives.
A top EFCC official revealed that the agency was probing the preferential foreign exchange allocations allegedly made by Emefiele in defiance of extant financial rules and regulations and the CBN Act.
The official claimed, “The EFCC is investigating over 85 entities, which include companies and individuals. The probe has extended beyond 52 entities, and I can confirm that the Dangote Group and BUA Plc are part of the 85 entities under probe over the preferential foreign exchange allocations made by the former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, in defiance of extant financial rules and regulations and in disregard of the CBN Act.
“Some officials of those companies and individuals connected with the allocations have been invited by the commission for questioning, and all the affected entities have been asked to provide their financial documents from 2014 to 2023. We discovered that those allocations were not approved by former President Muhammadu Buhari, so it was more of a means for the former CBN governor and his cronies to launder money through forex transactions and Bureau De Change operators.
“But it should be noted that our investigation is comprehensive; it is deeper and encompassing, and absolutely independent of the CBN investigator, Obazee’s report. The charges against the former CBN governor will most likely be amended as there have been more discoveries from the forex probe.”
The EFCC source added, “The discoveries in the recent probe into forex transactions involving many individuals and organisations show that the former governor of the CBN will face amended charges soon. Lawyers of the commission are working on that and as soon as that is done, Emefiele will answer to the charges.
“We have found out how he used his position to help friends and acquaintances, business associates, relations and others.
“The charges against him are plenty. It is a pity that such a highly placed man used his office the way he did it.
“He is also going to face other charges like money laundering, abuse of office, even abuse of office may involve the declaration of assets.”
When contacted over the latest development on Saturday, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, declined comments.
But a highly placed EFCC official said senior executives of the company had been mandated to supply the commission with what he called “detailed and unambiguous documents on the demands by the commission.”
It was gathered that the officials were being expected at the agency’s office on Tuesday.
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