Abia
State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Sylvester Ezeani has
refunded N20million to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC).
The cash is part of the N23.29billion
bribe given to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
officials to change the results of the 2015 election.
Three RECs have been named in the scandal. One of them is dead.
The EFCC has seized two choice shopping malls from a REC Gesil Khan.
Besides, the account of the REC with about N59million has been frozen by the anti-graft agency.
A retired INEC official, Sani Isa, was
questioned for N406,206,000 bribe allegedly collected on behalf of the
deceased REC in Kano State, Alhaji Mukaila Abdullahi.
The number of INEC staff invited and questioned by the EFCC has risen to 100.
INEC is awaiting a comprehensive brief
from the anti-graft agency on the affected staff, it was learnt that
only President Muhammadu Buhari can determine the fate of the RECs.
Ezeani’s N20million came from the
$115m(N23.29billion) which former Minister of Petroleum Resources
Diezani Alison-Madueke is said to have provided.
A source in EFCC, who spoke in
confidence, said: “Faced by overwhelming evidence from our team, Ezeani
has refunded to the commission N20million, which was traced to him.
“About N241million was allocated to INEC when Ezeani was the REC in Cross River State during the 2015 poll.
“We are working on other INEC staff to
refund the cash credited to them from the slush funds. So far, about
N503million has been recovered from INEC staff and politicians involved
in the poll bribery scandal in Port Harcourt Zone alone.
“We are determined to retrieve a huge chunk of the N23.29billion bribe.”
Post a Comment