The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is leaving no stone unturned as it intensified efforts at unravelling the mouth boggling money laundry involving Mr Abdullahi Bashir Haske, founder of AA & R Investment Group, who has been declared wanted for alleged money laundry and criminal conspiracy.
Haske, who it was gathered, was previously interrogated, detained, granted bail and had his passport seized by EFCC, was believed to managed to have escaped from the country using another travel document.
Checks indicated that Haske, who is a son-in-law of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, had his hands in some shady contracts that did not follow due process as a result of his close links to Ojulari, the GCEO of the NNPC Ltd.
Following Haske’s disappearance and a breach of the administrative bail granted him by the EFCC, the commission had to issue a public notice urging anyone with useful information on his whereabouts to contact its offices nationwide, security agencies, or reach out via its official helplines and email.
Haske also believed to be linked to the controversial organisation of a lavish jamboree tagged ‘Retreat’ in Kigali, Rwanda for which five private jets were allegedly chartered to fly top executives to the luxurious event, even against advice from other management staff that preferred having the management meeting and workshop in Nigeria to reduce capital flight, but was turned down for pecuniary interests.
A dependable source close to the EFCC told Forefront News that over $56 million has so far been traced to different accounts linked to Haske within the last three months alone mainly from one source.
The Coalition of Nigerian Patriots for Good Governance, a Civil Society group, recently accused the NNPCL leadership under Ojulari of awarding ₦5.7 billion consultancy deal to Haske without following due process.
The group which described the development as “looting in broad daylight”, questioned why an obscure firm with no verifiable track record was handpicked for such a humongous contract that ought to follow due process of bidding and contract evaluation.
The coalition particularly condemned in strong terms what it noted as “reckless spending” by the Ojulari-led NNPC Ltd management and employment of certain persons into executive positions that are far beyond them without following due process.
It was gathered that as a result of the lack of adherence to due process which allowed the movement of millions of dollars to private accounts, the EFCC is critically x-raying alleged money laundering following the bulk cash transfers, and questionable transactions tied to NNPC EndServe Ltd., one of the subsidiaries of the NNPCL’s Upstream Directorate.
Meanwhile, civil society groups have also vowed that they would sustain the pressure for accountability to Nigerians particularly now that majority of Nigerians are living in multidimensional poverty.
