Instead of
addressing his involvement in the fraudulent N21 billion loan scam allegedly granted
to Joy petroleum through the now defunct intercontinental bank, former governor
of Kwara state and now senator Bukola Saraki has begun campaign of calumny
against the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police and its top boss, Tunde
Ogunsakin, a Police Commissioner.
Recall that the
police fraud unit has been having a running battle with the senator over his
involvement in the loan fraud.
It is on record
that Sen. Saraki refused to honour several invitations by the anti fraud unit
before finally surrendering himself at the unit’s office in Abuja about three
weeks ago after being declared wanted by
the Police.
Senator Saraki
before honouring the Police invitation, has through his media office tried to
misinform the public that an Abuja High Court has restrained the police from inviting,
questioning or detaining him.
The misleading
press release issued by Saraki's media aide Akintoba Fatigun on April 24, 2012
stated:
“To protect his
dignity and prevent further harassment, Senator Bukola Saraki has obtained an
interim injunction restraining the Inspector General of Police, his officers and
agents from threatening to arrest him or infringe on his rights pending the determination
of the substantive suit on Thursday, 26th May 2012.
The restraining
order which was purportedly issued by the Federal High Court 4, Abuja, headed
by Justice Gladys Olotu was consequently refuted by the court as the SFU
secured a court order for his arrest through a Lagos High Court and he was declared
wanted by the police.
Police believe the
elusive senator illicitly obtained a N21 billion loan from Intercontinental
Bank Plc, now Access Bank through Joy Petroleum, a company said to be owned by
his former aide, Matthew Obahor.
As the beleaguered
senator failed in his attempt to seek a restraining order aiming at stopping
the police from taking him into custody. There are unconfirmed reports that he
had reportedly gone into hiding following the court’s decision to deny him this
sliver of protection.
After Saraki’s
chats with the Unit’s investigators in Lagos and Abuja, he was said to have
sensed that the police unit will definitely charge him to court for the scam
and was said to have set in motion series of smear campaigns to discredit and
rubbish the image of the Anti –fraud unit and its commissioner, Ogunsakin who
was unceremoniously kicked out of the EFCC last year by the former chairman of
the
commission, Farida
Waziri.
He is said to be
planning to weave his smear campaign around
the certificate saga involving
the SFU boss, whose tenacity has
become a source of worry for the former Governor during his (Ogunsakin) period as the Chief Investigator of the anti
graft commission.
According to
reliable sources close to the serving senator, these anti-police and anti-Ogunsakin
efforts are to weaken the case against him and to win public sympathy in his
favour, if the case eventually goes to court.
He was said to
have employed the services of political associates to put pressure to bear on
the SFU commissioner to soft pedal in his case. These include a former governor
of Ogunsakin's home state and that of a former Governor of Lagos State.
An insight into
the activities of Saraki and his well oiled media was highlighted by a piece
written and published by a public affair analyst, Joseph Omololu, on May 14, 2012
in some online media, which dealt extensively with the activities of the media team
of Saraki.
The article which
is fully reproduced here, reads: “For the past weeks, Senator Bukola Saraki’s
well-oiled media lobby has tried a great deal to explain the former governor’s
side to the N11b loan scam over which the powerful politician is being
investigated. They are doing so in manners that suggest
that the whole
issue is one big conspiracy hatched by some powerful forces to hang Saraki.
“An arm of the
lobby tries to tie the police investigation to the motion the senator sponsored
last year calling for the probe of the alleged mismanagement of the fuel subsidy,
now followed by head-scratching revelations.
“The other arm
attempts to link it to the politics of 2015 with some politicians, allegedly
aided by the Presidency, trying to checkmate Saraki. I concede that the first
lobby has done enough to justify whatever amount budgeted for the propaganda. Up
to 10 different well-written articles have appeared on this topic in various newspapers
and online portals.
“On the heels of
those came an official press release from Saraki himself explaining his ‘side’
of the story in the dailies of Friday May 11, 2012. Whilst keeping quiet on the
conspiracy theories above, Saraki again denied any link to the Joy Petroleum – the
company he believes is at the heart of the police investigation – and alleged media
prosecution of the case against him.
“But the irony of
the whole propaganda is that the more Bukola Saraki and his media lobby speak
on this matter the more vivid his links (and perhaps culpability) in the entire
saga become in the eyes of all lovers of details and probity.
“Everything
written by his media lobby and the contents of his press statement deliberately
ignored the facts of the case against him. They have failed to answer all relevant
questions even an inexperienced investigator will ask. Again, that is expected.
The whole agenda of the propaganda is to shift public attention from facts to
sentiments.
“Here are some of
the questions from which Saraki and his media lobby are running: if his
(Saraki’s) claim that Joy Petroleum Limited is owned by his late aide, how come
persons directly linked to Saraki, including one Abdul Adamu, were still making
transactions to and from the accounts belonging to the same company while the fellow
was bedridden and even after his death? Police have said that the names in the documentations
of the Bank included the wife of the former governor, Toyin Saraki, and the
former Commissioner of Finance and current Governor of Kwara State, Abdufattah
Ahmed.
“Police also said
a loan obtained by Joy Petroleum ltd. was lumped together with Dicetrade
Nigeria Ltd and Likam Ltd. (both of which Saraki has admitted having interest)
by the Bank which were separately obtained by the companies. What is the point
lumping together a loan obtained by company A with company B if there are no established
relationships? Police also said the stock purchased by the Kwara State Ministry
of Finance was used as collateral for the loan approved to Joy Petroleum Ltd. by
the Bank. Neither Kwara State Government nor any other agency has denied this.
“They have also
said that Joy Petroleum Ltd., Dicetrade Nigeria Ltd. and Likam Nig. Ltd share
one registered office address, No 10, Abebe Village, Iganmu, Lagos and operate
one office address, No 30 Saka Tinubu Street, Victoria Island, Lagos (property
of Saraki). It also happens that No 10 Abebe close is the office of TOYIN Pinheiro
SAN, Saraki’s personal friend and lawyer.
“Police said
Saraki had used his office as the Governor of Kwara State to influence the
purchase of the above named companies' stock by the Kwara State Ministry of Finance
and that the Plaintiff at material times (going by bank documents) was a promoter
of Joy Petroleum Ltd. and on several occasions used his personal properties to
guarantee loans taken by the companies including Joy Petroleum.
"These are
weighty allegations against Saraki and interestingly all are related to the said
Joy Petroleum ltd. Just as Saraki has kept quiet on why payments and withdrawals
were made by individuals directly linked to him even after the supposed owner
of the company was long dead, his media lobby has also refused to address other
issues raised by the police.
“ If Saraki has no
interest in the company, how come properties of the government he ran were used
in the transactions involving the company? How come he is not addressing the
established link between the company and his wife and commissioner for finance?
“He said the loans
were not collaterised, what then do we make of the established link (as bank
documents show) between Saraki’s properties and the loan? In fact, his claim
that the loan (about which he claims ignorance) was not collaterised raises another
question about his sincerity.
“As for whether
the case against him is being prosecuted in the media, Saraki again is the one
guilty of such accusations. Police authorities last made a statement on the matter
the day he appeared in Abuja, rather than the Lagos office of the SFU to which he
was originally invited. And that statement was quite silent on the case against
him. It only stated that he appeared in Abuja and was expected to report again
in
Lagos the next
Thursday.
“That is probably
because the matter is already before the court, where both parties have filed
affidavits and counter affidavits to state their respective case. Since then, Bukola
Saraki has granted at least two interviews online including the one granted japh
omojuwa.com touching this issue.
“The above
suggests that Saraki is commissioning several write ups to deceive the unwary
public and whip up sentiments. It is on record that Saraki deliberately lied to
the world that he has obtained an injunction against the police whereas no such
thing exists. Rather than summon a moral conviction to apologise to the public
for such show of shame, Saraki has continued to spread falsehoods. But nothing
exposes Saraki as a lawless and indecorous fellow other than his continued
public statements
over the veracity
or otherwise of allegations already submitted to the court for adjudication.
What is more, this was the same person that took the matter to the court in the
first instance. Also, while Saraki is publicly asserting his innocence, privately
he is said to be going around lobbying everybody from the President to the Sultan
of Sokoto to the IG to have the investigation killed.
“Finally, Saraki
is not the first public official to be questioned by the police. Even as matters
stand now, the police have not preferred any charges against him. Yet one cannot
recall there being this much sponsored write up about anybody in recent times
as has been in favour of Saraki”.
“Nigerians can
well expect another round of salvo being prepared at the moment by Saraki’s
team against SFU and Ogunsakin.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment