EFCC: Magu Tables Fresh Request Before Presidential Panel

The Justice Ayo Salami-led presidential panel has rejected a request from the suspended chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.

The presidential panel is probing activities of the anti-graft commission under the leadership of Magu, Naija News reports.

A source close to the panel told TheCable that Ibrahim Magu had requested for a video recording of the probe.

But the panel headed by Justice Salami rejected his request while promising to give him a fair hearing.

“The members are not conducting a trial or inquiry on Mr Ibrahim Magu nor the EFCC,” the source quoted Salami to have said.

“This is not a panel but a committee saddled only with investigation. The request of Mr Ibrahim Magu for the video recording of the proceedings cannot be granted because the previous recordings of the proceedings at the beginning was unauthorised by the investigation committee and the committee does not know the purpose such recordings will serve.

“The venue of the sitting of the committee is temporary and therefore it is impossible to install video recording equipment as requested by Magu. Even the superior courts of records do not have video recording facilities and lack of such facilities does not infringe on fair hearing.

“The committee undertakes to guarantee fair hearing to Magu and all appearing before it in its fact-finding exercise.”

Naija News reports that Magu was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari and was replaced by Mohammed Umar.

Abubakar Malami (SAN), attorney-general of the federation (AGF), had accused him of mismanaging loot recovered by the anti-graft agency.

The former EFCC boss was detained for 10 days before he was eventually granted bail.