The Code of Conduct Bureau has said there is evidence
that the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, while
governor of Kwara State between 1999 and 2007,
obtained huge bank loans and paid back the loans with
funds belonging to the state.
The bureau alleged that Saraki used the bank loans
running into billions of naira to acquire landed assets in
Lagos, Abuja and London.
The Bureau said it gathered the information from the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission which
conducted investigations into various petitions written
against the Senate President between 2010 and 2012.
The CCB’s position is contained in a counter-affidavit
deposed to by one of its operatives, Peter Danladi, in
opposition to a fresh motion filed by Saraki to challenge
the validity of the 13 counts of false assets declaration
instituted against him before the tribunal.
Danladi stated, “That I was informed by Mr. Yahaya
Bello, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission in our office on March 14, 2016 at about
11am and I verily believe him that:
“The EFCC received various petitions against the
defendant/applicant between 2010 and 2012 alleging
acts of corruption, theft, money laundering etc.
“The EFCC conducted its investigation of the various
petitions and made findings which showed that the
defendant/applicant abused his office while he was
Governor of Kwara State and was involved in various
acts of corruption as the governor of the state.
“The defendant/applicant borrowed huge sums of
money running into billions from commercial banks,
particularly Guarantee Trust Bank and used the proceeds
of the loan to acquire several landed properties in
Lagos, Abuja and London while he was Governor of
Kwara State.
“As against the defendant using his own legitimate
income to defray the loan, he took public funds running
into billions from Kwara State Government and lodged
same in several tranches and in cash into his GTB
account in GRA, Ilorin, Kwara State.
“The defendant/applicant’s account officer in GTB
confirmed that the defendant/applicant gave him
several cash in government house to lodge into the
account and in some occasions, the defendant sent his
aides from government house to give him the cash for
lodgment into his account.
“When EFCC submitted its report to its legal
department and the Federal Ministry of Justice, the
Federal Ministry of Justice formed the opinion that the
offences revealed from the investigation, particularly as
they relate to the properties acquired by the defendant/
applicant while he was Governor of Kwara State and
various monies sent into his various accounts outside
Nigeria can be better investigated and prosecuted
through the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal.
“The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation
then sent the findings and the evidence gathered during
investigation by the EFCC as a complaint to the Code of
Conduct Bureau for investigation and that the operative
of EFCC would collaborate with the officers of the
bureau for effective investigations.”
Punch
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