EFCC moves in on Aregbesola, Ibru

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission may be extending its dragnet to pull in the Osun state governor, Rauf Aregbesola as indications emerged over the weekend that the agency may have invited Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, who recently accused the governor of graft to its Abuja headquarters.

A source close to the judge told journalists in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Sunday that the judge was contacted by an official of the EFCC, who asked her to come to the Abuja office of the commission to assist them in the investigation into the allegations.

Also, the anti-graft agency has filed 11 counts of fraud against the former Chairman of Ikeja Hotels Plc, Mr. Goodie Ibru, for allegedly defrauding the hotel to the tune of N1bn. The charge sheet was filed before Justice Raliatu Adebiyi of the Lagos Division of the Lagos State High Court.

The source said Oloyede had expressed her readiness to assist the anti-graft agency if they come to Osogbo to investigate the petition but that she could not afford to travel to Abuja at the moment.

The judge had in her petition written on June 19 to the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salam, accused Aregbesola of financial recklessness.

She had also sent a copy of the petition to the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, among others.

The state House of assembly had set up a panel to investigate the judge’s petition but she had disagreed with the panel.

The judge, who did not show up in person before the panel, had sent her counsel, Mr. Lanre Ogunlesi (SAN) to represent her and she complained that the panel ought to make a copy of Aregbesola’s reply to her petition available to her for further action.

But the panel headed by Mr. Adegboye Akintunde, who is also the deputy speaker of the House, disagreed with the judge’s request, saying the panel was not obligated to make the response of the defendant available to the petitioner.

The two week given the panel to investigate the petition had expired last Friday.

On his part, Ibru was charged alongside three companies – Associated Ventures International Limited, IHL Services Limited and Clearview Investment Limited.

The EFCC, in one of the counts, alleged that Ibru and his co-suspects conspired amongst themselves to steal a sum of N867,700,990.00 being the profit due to Ikeja Hotels Plc, adding that the suspects received the stolen sum through Starwood Limited, the managers of Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja. The alleged offence was said to be committed between January and December 2010

Read also: Osun Judge wants Aregbesola impeached

In another of the counts, the EFCC alleged that the suspects, had between June and October 2010, with an intent to defraud, fraudulently converted to their personal use, a sum of N55,102,485.50 received through Starwood Limited as profit due to the hotel.

The EFCC further alleged that the suspects, with an intent to defraud, fraudulently converted to their personal use, various sums received through Starwood Limited as profit due to the hotel.

EFCC alleged that the defendants also, with an intent to defraud, fraudulently converted to their personal use a sum of N27, 508,766.25 sometime in February 2010 – property of Ikeja Hotels Plc which sum was said to have been received through Clearview Investment Limited as proceeds of the sale of Ikeja Hotels property.

According to the anti-graft commission, these alleged offences committed by the suspects are contrary to sections 516, 370(7)(b) and 9 and 278(1)(b) and 285(8) and 9(b) 0f the Criminal Code Cap C. 17, Vol. 11, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

No date has been fixed for the arraignment of the suspects.

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