PDP’s N450m: Transfer Probe to Abuja, Ozekhome Urges EFCC

BY RAPHAEL ONYEKACHUKWU, ENUGU – Following what looks like a skewed investigation, a legal luminary Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has petitioned the Acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, urging him to, as a matter of necessity, take over the investigation into how the N450 million sent to Enugu State by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National headquarters during the 2015 Presidential election was disbursed.
Ozekhome, who is the head of the legal team to the former commissioner to the ex-Governor Sullivan Chime on Special Duties and Secretary of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Committee in Enugu State during the 2015 Presidential election, Hon. Rita Mbah, expressed dismay at the handling of the matter by the Enugu Zonal office of the EFCC.

The Constitutional lawyer said the fund has since become a subject of investigation by the EFCC as it was said to be part of the $2.1 billion meant for the purchase of arms to prosecute the fight against Boko Haram but was allegedly diverted.
In a nine-page letter to Magu dated 7th of April, 2017 and entitled “A clear case of victimization, perversion of justice, illegal and unlawful detention, palpable bias, distorted and compromised investigation: Our repressed Ms, Mbah,” Ozekhome said it had become necessary for the matter to be transferred from Enugu to Abuja in view of the obvious compromise displayed by the officers in Enugu.

He also requested Magu to constitute an unbiased and uncompromised investigating team to investigate the receipt and disbursement of the fund, with the intent to possibly prosecute former Governor Sullivan Chime who allegedly disbursed the money and all others involved.
According to him, developments since the commencement of the investigation in Enugu has shown that justice will eventually not be served as his client has lost confidence in the neutrality and impartiality of the Zonal office “given their palpable compromise and bias as can be gleaned from the chronology of the ugly events detailed in the letter”.
He said the EFCC in Enugu rather than go after substance had settled for the shadow as it continued to intimidate, harass, denigrate, degrade, embarrass and infringe upon the fundamental rights of his client.
Giving further details as to the reason for his conclusions, Ozekhome who copied the letter to the chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption, the Inspector General of Police, Director General of DSS, Attorney General of the Federation and Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said despite the revelation as to how the said fund was allegedly disbursed by the former governor, nobody other than his client, a mere secretary during the campaign had consistently been harassed by the commission.