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ILLEGAL REPATRIATIONS: Senate gets int’l forensic experts to probe MTN

Published

8 years ago

October 19, 2016

ILLEGAL REPATRIATIONS: Senate gets int'l forensic experts to probe MTN

The Senate on Tuesday, revealed that investigation into the alleged repatriation of $13.9 billion by MTN Nigeria has begun.

The Red Chamber has also revealed that international forensic lawyers, accountants and other experts to assist in the investigation have been hired.

Chairman of the Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, Senator Rafui Ibrahim, revealed this while briefing newsmen in Abuja.

Rafui said the experts had already arrived Nigeria and were already working with other local forensic experts to uncover any hidden details from the documents that had been submitted.

“The Senate sees this as very important, it is a weighty allegation and we are going to deal with a lot of documents spanning 16 years. Based on that we got the approval of the leadership of the Senate and we have engaged international and local forensic experts, accountants and lawyers.

“The team has been fully assembled and they have started working: this in not going to be a normal periphery investigation because it involves a lot of documents. We will be starting the investigative hearing tomorrow, we will listen to each one of them and we will take it from there,” he said.

The committee Chairman disclosed that a number of private individuals and government agencies had been invited to brief it on Thursday. He said that some of those invited had already submitted requested documents and had indicated their willingness to be at the hearing.

“MTN has submitted and they promised to attend, Diamond Bank has submitted, Standard Chartered Bank has submitted and they promised to attend, Stanbic has submitted and they promised to attend. Mallam Ahmed Dasuki has no submission yet, Col. Sani Bello: no submission but we are expecting them tomorrow,” he said.

Others expected to appear before committee are Minister for Industries, Trade and Investment Okechukwu Enelamah, Dr. Paschal Dozie former Chairman of Diamond Bank and the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria.

Other names listed are Gbenga Oyebode and Dr, Victor Odili.

In his remark, Senator Dino Melaye who blew the whistle on the alleged repatriation expressed happiness that the Senate had taken the matter seriously.

Meanwhile, in a letter to the Committee, the Minister of Industries, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah denied any involvement with the alleged repatriation.

In the letter HMITI/GEN.CORR./VOL.1/, dated Oct. 7 said that he was never involved with MTN as he had never been a director with the company. Enelamah said that he had neither had any engagement with the company nor earned dividends.

He urged the senate to note that investors do not have responsibility for the remittance of proceeds from the company they invested in.

“So at no time was ever in position to transfer funds out of Nigeria on behalf of MTN and at no time did I transfer funds out of Nigeria on behalf of MTN,” he said.

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