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Daily Independent (Lagos)

Nigeria: Corruption - EFCC Begins Probe of Obasanjo

Festus Owete, Alexandra Mede, Gboyega Adeoye and Olisemeka Obeche

28 October 2008

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Abuja/Lagos — Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have begun probing the allegations against former President Olusegun Obasanjo filed in a petition last week by the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL).

EFCC Spokesman, Femi Babafemi, told reporters in Abuja on Monday that the operatives are mandated to carry out a discrete investigation into the issues raised.

"Investigators always carry out painstaking analysis of facts before they can establish a case. It is only after the facts have been established that the Commission would know the next steps to take in the investigation," he said.

The allegations the CACOL levelled against Obasanjo include illegal accumulation of resources from oil sales, involvement in power contract scandals, illegal acquisition of N200 million shares in Transcorp, illegal acquisition of resources for his library project, and using public funds to establish his university.

The CACOL, whose earlier petition submitted on November 14 last year had disappeared from the EFCC, gathered its members to march through the streets of Ikoyi last week to deposit another original copy at the EFCC Lagos office.

CACOL National Chairman, Debo Adeniran, urged the Commission to give teeth to its anti-graft crusade by prosecuting all indicted serving and former public officials.

Three petitions filed by the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) on December 24 last year asking the EFCC to prosecute Obasanjo and 31 Governors for gross misconduct were among those declared missing by EFCC Chairman, Farida Waziri.

In another development, Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria (PAN) has written to the EFCC to explain the N2.3 billion car deal between it and the House of Representatives.

Speaker Dimeji Bankole dispatched his aides to the PAN factory in Kaduna on Sunday to get details of the transaction after Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, petitioned him to probe it.

Keyamo threatened to take Bankole to the law enforcement agencies if he fails to act.

But Bankole told reporters at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Monday: "Let Keyamo make noise. The House will sort it out. It'll be properly handled. We're dealing with serious issues.

"The House Ethics Committee is looking into it and I'm sure Keyamo will come out with the facts. We will also come out with the facts, and with that we move on.

"Further questions on the matter can be channeled to the FIRS (Federal Inland Revenue Service) and the PAN. They'll answer anyone who wants to find out. It doesn't matter what I say here but what matters is what the FIRS and the PAN say."

A letter PAN wrote to the EFCC, signed by its Principal Manager (Corporate Communication), Toyin Akigbogun, said it was forced to react to reports in the media.

The letter, dated October 27, explained that:

• "We are in a car manufacturing business and in a very competitive environment. At various times, we fix our prices to take cognisance of competition, market trends and the interest of Nigerians in our employment and our publics.

• "At the time we signed a contractual agreement with the management of the National Assembly for the purchase of the cars, the price of 'Comfort' that was eventually supplied and paid for was N6,168,750, excluding PDI and delivery charges.

• "The supply was based on features requested by the customer as per funds available to them for the purchase. All optional features like leather seat alleged to be absent in cars supplied are at the discretion of the buyer.

• "The controversy over different models does not arise as we determine the brand names given to various models. The 'Comfort' name was given by us to the supplied ST Sports 407, which had all the features requested for in our contract. We wish to state that as at 2006, the 407 Comfort was not in Nigeria. It was introduced to the Nigerian market based on the order we received in 2007.

• "Our prices, as usually indicated on the price list, are subject to competition, market, trends and promotional sales. For instance, from 2007 to date, we have had several movements in our prices.

• "We did not give any discount in view of the urgency of the order which necessitated our 'off factory production' and special shipping terms.

"PAN, as a stakeholder in the automobile manufacturing sector and the economy in general, conducts business as a manufacturer and supplier of quality sectors of the economy in absolute regard to due process.

"We wish to state that PAN will not condone or encourage corrupt practices in its business engagement and will not want its good name to be dragged into unnecessary controversy."

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