The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, denied any deal between its chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa and former Chairman of the defunct Skye Bank, Mr. Tunde Ayeni.
A media reports had insinuated that its chairman was traveling to abroad on a clandestine, self-serving mission.
Reacting on the alleged news item, the Commission in a statement on Friday by the Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, described the report as absolutely false.
“The attention of the Commission has been drawn to a so-called “exclusive’’ news report making the rounds on social media to the effect that the EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa and former Chairman of the defunct Skye Bank, Mr. Tunde Ayeni, are travelling together, abroad, on a clandestine, self-serving mission.
“The story, which vainly tries to push a certain malodorous agenda, is absolutely FALSE.
“If it were not for its potential to confound and confuse the unwary, the Commission would have ignored the story. However, there is every need to set the facts straight.
“To start with, there was never a meeting and certainly no “plan” between the EFCC Chair and Mr. Ayeni to go anywhere together
“Furthermore, while the EFCC Chairman is at this time on an approved mission abroad, Ayeni, whom the fiction-turned-news story says is on a clandestine trip with Mr. Bawa, is, from checks, right here in Nigeria. A cursory check would have confirmed that
“If the design is to get the Commission to compromise its mandate to investigate and prosecute all cases of economic and financial crimes, then the purveyors of the tendentious story have failed. Woefully
“No matter what, the Commission will be guided only by that mandate and its very clear Standard Operating Procedure and WILL NOT be blackmailed or act in any way predetermined or teleguided by private interests.
“The EFCC WILL ONLY pursue the public interest as defined by the law establishing the Commission.” The statement reads.
Recall that the EFCC under the leadership of Ibrahim Magu, had on March 7, 2019 arraigned Ayeni, Oguntayo and two other companies before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of a Federal High Court, Abuja on 10 charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of N25.4bn.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Tunde Ayeni, whilst being the Chairman, Board of Directors of the defunct Skye Bank Plc, between the 1st of January, 2014 and 31st December, 2014 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did commit an offence, to wit: converting the aggregate sum of N17,415,080,000 taken in cash from defunct Skye Bank Plc Suspense Account and delivered to you by the staff of the defunct Skye Bank Plc, which money you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: fraud and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 15(2)(b) and (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended).”
At the hearing on December 8, 2020, the EFCC lawyer, Samuel Chime, stated, “Parties have made considerable progress. The prosecution has received a property in furtherance of settlement in this matter; a property in Lagos which the defendants relinquished. But we had to rely on AMCON and Skye Bank who are the nominal complainant in this matter.” He stated.
