The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and some of his aides are at the centre of another money laundering scandal, which may also explain why the senate rejected the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for the second time on March 15, five days after the anti graft-agency reported the matter to the presidency.
A report compiled by operatives of the EFCC and sent to President Muhammadu Buhari on March 10, has detailed how Saraki and his aides allegedly laundered up to N3.5 billion from the Paris Club loan refund.
ICIR learnt that the report followed months of investigations by detectives of the anti-graft agency.
The EFCC gave details of Saraki laundered N3.5 billion he allegedly received from the Paris Club loan refund to state governors.
Saraki used his deputy chief of staff, Gbenga Makanjuola, and some other aides as the conduit to launder the money in 2016.
EFCC alleged that Saraki introduced Makanjuola, a former lawmaker, to Kathleen Erhimu, who is his relationship manager at Access Bank.
Makanjuola would later work with Robert Mbonu, a former Managing Director of Heritage Bank, whose firm, Melrose General Services Limited, was said to have served as consultant to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum.
The EFCC informed President Buhari that Mbonu received N3.5 billion in mid-December 2016, part of which was later transferred to accounts and persons linked to the senate president.
The anti-graft agency concluded in the report to the president that “A prima facie case of conspiracy to retain the proceeds of unlawful activities and money laundering contrary to Sections 15(3) and 18(9) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2004 can be established against the aforementioned suspects.”
The EFCC also hinted the president that a further investigation into the personal accounts of Saraki and some of his aides was on-going with a view to further establish their complicity in the alleged crime.
Saraki in his response said the allegations were untrue and that it was Magu’s way of fighting back after the senate rejected his nomination for a second time.
But it is hard to see the logic since the senate rejected Magu on March 15 and the letter to the president was sent on March 10.
It was unclear at press time how President Buhari’s would react to this new revelation. But it may complicate things for the senate president who has been battling to clear his name at the Code of Conduct Tribunal since 2015.