Vanguard (Lagos)
Chinyere Amalu
12 February 2007
Abuja — THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied the recent publications in some National Dailies (not Vanguard) that it has cleared the Executive Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, of the graft charges against him.
In a two-page letter written by the Commission to the Executive Governor of Kano State dated 10th February 2007, and made availble to Vanguard, the Commission said that the claims credited to the governor through the media are untrue and bordered on criminality.
The letter which was signed by the Chief of Staff, EFCC, Dapo Olorunyomi and copied to the National President, ANP National Media reads:
"We are writing to strongly refute the wild claims credited to you via the front page story of The Guardian of 9th February, 2007, and the Sun Newspaper of same date, that the EFCC has cleared you of graft charges and that you received a clearance bill from the Commission.
"As you very well know, these claims are untrue, and border even on criminality to the extent that the referencing details of the Commission was fraudulently deployed in this brazen case of forgery (Section 362 of the Penal Code Act); forgery of public seal (S. 365 of the Penal Code Act); and using as genuine a forged document under S.366 of the Penal Code Act.
"The Commission also trusts also that you are aware of the full implications of these offences. Brandishing the alleged clearance letter from the Commission on Friday, you reportedly told a rally crowd in Kano that the EFCC, through its Chief of Staff, had written to say there was no misappropriation of one kobo and no fraud established against you."
"With due respect, Your Excellency, this may be taking political anxiety beyond the frontiers of moderation and proportionate reason. In any case, it would be impossible to clear you of indictment because in the first instance, the EFCC is not in the business of clearing candidates.
"Secondly, your alleged offences coupled with other ongoing investigations against you, like the massive N4 Billion scam associated with the importation of fertilizers which, as you will recall, was unilaterally awarded to contractors lacking track records; with no executive council approval nor legislative appropriation, yet through which the state suffered severe financial hemorrhage; but which thanks to the spirited efforts of the EFCC which has helped recovered N1.8 Billion so far, as well as the operation of foreign accounts, would have made the prospect you so desperately wish for at this time, simply impossible".
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