EFCC Begins Probe On Audio Alleging Malami Controls Agency

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has vowed to probe the audio alleging that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami controls the commission.

A lawyer and police officer attached to the anti-graft agency, Mohammed Idris, in the audio, had allegedly made claims regarding the influence of Malami.

According to Idris, the AGF who supervises the commission led by Abdulrasheed Bawa compromised cases of corruption.

Idris, in one of the audio which was published by Daily Nigerian, could be heard discussing with Abdulbari Yusuf, a brother of retired Rear Admiral, Tahir Yusuf, facing trial.

The EFCC had frozen the accounts of the one-time Director of Navy Accounts and his company, Aston at the early stage of investigations.

Idris advised Yusuf how to win the case at the Court of Appeal and also extract money from an account.

He said, “If he has money in any account linked with his BVN (Bank Verification Number), he should quickly evacuate them. If he makes transfers, EFCC will still trace it. He should only withdraw and then deposit into another account.

“Malami now controls the EFCC. The commission is in his hands. Once Malami speaks, the account will be unfrozen. They are unfreezing suspects’ accounts, including the big cases.”

The Head of Media in the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement released on Thursday stated that EFCC has started an investigation into the audio.

He stated that the commission will activate its internal mechanism to deal with the issues arising therefrom.

Uwujaren, “Without prejudice to the outcome of the investigation, snippets of the audio recording clearly showed an abysmally compromised “officer” dropping names to ingratiate his benefactor, a relative of a crime suspect.

“By the alleged action, the said officer is no more than a corrupt fifth columnist with scant regard for the values of the Commission.

“The action is contemptuous of the established Standard Operating Procedure of the EFCC. Such professional indiscretion has no place in the new EFCC.

“The Commission encourages citizens who encounter any such unprofessional conduct by personnel of the EFCC to report to the Commission in support of our quest to build a better Agency.

“Reporting such conducts has been made easy by the Eagle Eye App, financial crimes reporting application which was launched earlier in the year.

“We encourage members of the public to download the App from the Apple and Google Play Store and put it to use.”