- Malami insists he had no hand in Maina�s recall
- professional reveals ex-pension boss still on govt payroll
- Oyo-Ita, FCSC boss dispute AGF�s testimony
- Damilola Oyedele, James Emejo and Paul cult in Abuja
Barely twenty four hours once President Muhammadu Buhari entrenched a committee to audit assets recovered from alleged looters of the treasury, the Senate has additionally instituted an enquiry into the acknowledged pillaging and sale of recovered pension assets at below value to officers and cronies of the national.
The assets embrace 222 properties comprising residential and industrial properties in many components of Federal Republic of Nigeria, associate degree unexpressed variety of luxury vehicles and portfolio investments, that were recovered by the Abdulrasheed Maina-led Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms and two-handed over to the Economic and money Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Owing to the new info accessible to the Senate, it swollen the scope of its spontanepous committee charged with work the circumstances of the come back and reinstatement of Maina into the government officials to incorporate the pillaging and disposal of pension assets.
The new mandate to the committee followed some extent of order raised by its chairman, legislator Emmanuel Paulker UN agency aforementioned the investigation of state officers suspected to own been concerned in Maina�s reinstatement into the general public sector, had unconcealed that the assets had been disposed off.
Paulker so wanted the leave of the Senate to mandate the committee to unravel the identities of the beneficiaries of the pillaging and acquisitions.
In his presentation yesterday on the findings of his committee, Paulker had said: �The Senate ought to note that before Maina left, the Pension Reform Task Team had recovered assets from alleged pension looters, operating with the EFCC, ICPC, DSS, police and paramilitary agencies UN agency dead the recoveries and thenceforth, EFCC took over custody of the recovered assets.
�The Senate ought to equally note that the EFCC, as a member of the Maina-led Pension Tax Force Team, had the statutory powers to impound and take custody of the assets.
�The Senate is afraid that the full recovered assets from the alleged pension thieves were reported to own been shared by some interest teams.
�The Senate additional notes that this revelation emerged throughout the present investigation by the spontanepous committee on the reinstatement of Maina and also the committee equally received a petition on the recovered properties by the task force.
�For this baleful revelation, sir, this committee requests the Senate to expand the scope of its investigation on Maina by extending it to the management of assets recovered by him and two-handed over to EFCC before his removal as Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Pensions in 2014 and by therefore doing, extend the period of the assignment.�
The request of the committee was overpoweringly voted for by the senators.
Presiding, Senate President Bukola Saraki charged the committee to try and do an intensive job and unravel the allegations.
�This may be a terribly serious matter and a lot of of huge scale corruption happening in impermissible places. we have a tendency to simply hope that it remains at the realm of allegations and not because it is bestowed,� he said.
The committee is anticipated to submit its report in four weeks.
A senior professional aforementioned to be near the presidency was purported to have bought one in every of the high-scale properties in Abuja.
The aforementioned property settled on Gana Street within the highbrow Maitama space of the town, was allegedly valued at N1 billion however was sold-out to the professional for N600 million.
A credible supply familiar THISDAY that officers, responding to queries on the Maina�s reinstatement, had notified the committee of the pillaging of recovered assets, together with money recoveries.
In addition, a gaggle � involved Federal Pensioners � had petitioned the Senate over the pillaging of the recovered pension assets.
In a letter signed by its chairman, Adodo David, the cluster had demanded the probe of the allegations.
�These properties ar underneath the custody of the EFCC. The properties as we have a tendency to speak are shared among high officers of the commission, friends and relations together with lawyers,� it said.
In the course of its probe into Maina�s reinstatement, the Paulker-led committee had met with officers of the Federal government officials Commission (FCSC), the Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd.) and also the professional General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami.
�There aren't any Such Properties�
But in response to the revelations created within the Senate, the EFCC last night aforementioned there was no such quality appropriated from alleged pension thieves indicted Maina.
EFCC Head of Media and content, Wilson Uwujaren aforementioned in an exceedingly statement that the allegation by the Senate was baleful and misrepresented.
He said: �The attention of the Economic and money Crimes Commission has been drawn to comments attributed to the Chairman of the Senate spontanepous committee work the polemical reinstatement of Abdulrasheed Miana, legislator Emmanuel Paulker, alleging that officers of the commission shared 222 properties that Maina�s panel appropriated from pension fund thieves.
�This sweeping allegation, returning from a Senate committee is troubling, a lot of therefore as no try was created to verify the data from the commission.�
Uwujaren explained that �the EFCC was ne'er invited by the committee and given the chance to coach it on the standing of assets appropriated from suspected pension thieves, nevertheless the committee was comfy with scandalising the EFCC with the general public revelation of unproved claims by unknown interests�.
�For the turning away of doubt, there aren't any 222 properties anyplace that were shared by anybody. The EFCC failed to receive one property from Abdulrasheed Maina.
�All the pension fraud assets that ar within the recovered assets inventory of the commission were merchandise of freelance investigations by the EFCC, that Maina and his cohorts had no clue,� the EFCC side.
He contended that if Maina or any government official witnessed the sharing of any recovered pension assets by any official of the EFCC, they must be willing to call the official, the assets concerned, and once and wherever the sharing passed.
�As so much because the EFCC is bothered, there's no contention concerning the standing of assets recovered from suspected pension thieves.
�The record of all the recovered assets from each the Police Pension and also the Pension workplace of the workplace of the top of the government officials of the Federation, moreover as their current standing ar intact, and are communicated to the relevant organs of state.
�However, in sight of the consistent show of public content concerning the profile of recovered assets by even people who ought to apprehend, it's vital to state that it's not possible for associate degreeybody to share a property that's the topic of an interim forfeiture by court.
�Of all the properties appropriated from pension fraud suspects, it's solely properties that ar connected to John Yusuf, UN agency was condemned underneath a plea bargaining arrangement that are lost for good and two-handed to government.
�All the others, with the exception of Brifina building, ar subject of associate degree interim forfeiture order. and also the cases ar in progress in courts,� the EFCC expressed.
AGF Washes Hands off Maina�s Recall
However, the AGF weekday unacknowledged the letters written and signed by him recommending the reinstatement of Maina into the government officials.
In the letter from the FCSC on Maina�s reinstatement, that was revealed by the media, the commission had documented 2 letters from the AGF UN agency had asked the commission to reinstate the previous pension boss on the idea of a court ruling vacating Maina�s dismissal from the government officials once he had absconded to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2013.
However, though Malami yesterday admitted that Maina had applied to his workplace for reinstatement, he insisted that no reinstatement method had commenced with regard to the request.
Speaking at associate degree inquiring hearing by the House of Representatives spontanepous committee on the disappearance, reinstatement and promotion of the previous pension boss, the AGF aforementioned the probably thought of Maina�s application for reinstatement was �still add progress as of October 5� once the news of his reinstatement was reported by the media.
Malami maintained that he had nothing to try and do with the acknowledged letters, adding that associate degree inquiry had been launched to see the circumstances resulting in the letter emanating from his workplace along with his signature.
He aforementioned he ne'er had any engagement with the Ministry of Interior effecting Maina�s recall by the ministry.
Malami additionally stirred the hornest�s nest once he alluded to the very fact that Maina belonged to a pension scam syndicate created from influential and powerful folks together with politicians, high civil servants and members of the National Assembly.
This diode the committee chairman, Hon. Aliyu Madaki to demand that he name the lawmakers concerned within the pension scam, if attainable.
But the AGF declined, disputation that any revelation at that time could undermine in progress investigations.
Malami aforementioned his initial interface with Maina dated back to Gregorian calendar month 2016 in urban center, UAE, once he was on an officer assignment.
He aforementioned at Maina�s insistence through a 3rd party contact, he granted him audience within the presence of the National Security authority UN agency was on the assemblage to the UAE, and also the meeting afforded him the chance to urge initial hand info on the pension scam.
He aforementioned Maina told him that the total of N3.7 billion was being shared on a monthly basis among members of the task force syndicate whereas ghost pensioners were deliberately enclosed in police and military pension records.
Armed with the revelation, Malami aforementioned on inward Federal Republic of Nigeria from the overseas trip, the data given by Maina was acted upon, resulting in blockage of many leakages.
Malami aforementioned Maina�s professional had solely applied for his client�s reinstatement on the strength of a judicial writ on the difficulty.
He aforementioned none of the govt. agencies joined within the suit had exercised any right of charm among the legal timeframe, giving area for Maina�s go after reinstatement.
The AGF aforementioned there have been no strings hooked up in his call to entertain Maina�s application, because it was strictly letter of invitation for justice to be served.
He aforementioned that he was saddled with the responsibility, anchored on his oath of workplace, to concentrate to such complaints.
He aforementioned his correspondence with Maina was in honesty and failed to protect him from future arrest.
Also showing before the committee, the acting chairman of the FCSC, Mr. Joseph Akande, in his submission, aforementioned Maina was declared absent from duty in 2013 once makes an attempt to find him tested unsuccessful
He aforementioned the Ministry of Interior (Maina�s ministry at the time) had queried him however was unable to find him.
He said, consequently, once he failed to answer the question, the workers Service Commission had counseled that he be unemployed.
According to Akande, someday in 2014, Maina reportedly wrote to the commission to rethink the dismissal.
�But we have a tendency to turned down his request,� he told the House committee.
Nonetheless, Akande aforementioned in Gregorian calendar month 2017, �we received a letter from the attorney-general tightened associate degree update on Maina�s reinstatement and that we aforementioned he remained dismissed�.
According to him, the AGF then sent a 3rd letter noting that the idea of his dismissal couldn't stand as a result of his warrant had been unskilled by a supreme court.
Akande additional unconcealed that Maina wasn't promoted as reported by the media however was reinstated on the government officials grade level of his dismissal in 2013.
The Head of the government officials of the Federation (HoS), Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, in her testimony, aforementioned the Ministry of Interior acted in error by reinstating Maina while not a proper letter.
She aforementioned she had expressed her reservations and concern over the letters and determined to not act thereon although that they had supposedly originated from the workplace of the AGF, because it couldn't are within the interest of the current administration�s posture on fighting corruption within the system.
However, citing procedural lapses on the aspect of state, the legal counsel to Maina, Mr. Muhammed Sani Katu, argued that it absolutely was not true that his consumer had been unemployed from the government officials as wide reported .
�He remains a workers of the government officials,� he said, adding that Maina still works for the national going to letters self-addressed to him by government agencies, among others.
Asked by the committee if he was still being paid salaries and emoluments.
Katu answered within the affirmative, adding that files had been sent to Maina among the last 2 months to treat associate degreed minute on as an acting director.
He secure to produce proof to back his claims at successive hearing.
The counsel aforementioned his client�s acknowledged dismissal had been allotted despite the very fact that the matter was already in court wherever the ability to sack him was already relevant.
Although the HoS and also the Ministry of Interior moreover because the FCSC claimed they were unaware of the court proceedings against them, Katu aforementioned proof are going to be provided to the committee at its next sitting.
He aforementioned Maina, UN agency was �avoidably� absent from the hearing thanks to security issues can want the duvet of the committee against arrest by the enforcement agencies, provided that the House had passed a resolution that apart from vocation for associate degree inquiry into his reinstatement, had additionally urged the EFCC to instantly arrest him.
Katu aforementioned by that declaration, the House seemed to have adjudged him to be guilty.
On Maina�s disappearance within the heat of the alleged pension scam, his counsel aforementioned the previous pension boss had to travel into concealment as a results of threats to his life, particularly from the State House.
However, a light drama ensued to the fear of the committee once the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Abraham Idris aforementioned the police failed to play any role some within the disappearance and reinstatement of Maina, as no member of the force was a member of his committee.
Represented at the hearing by the Deputy officer of Police (DIG), analysis and coming up with, Tochukwu Valentine, Idris aforementioned the police had no information of the circumstances aside from what was within the property right.
When the committee, however, reminded him of an honest variety of policemen providing security to the embattled Maina amid the crisis, the police boss said: �We don�t have any record of any law officer guarding Maina� and challenged anyone to produce such details.
Idris aforementioned the sole purpose at that the police got concerned was once Maina was declared wished supported a warrant issued against him by the Senate.
He side that until date, the police were still probing for him.
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