By Orkula Shaagee, Abuja
The Presidency came down heavily on the Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC),Ibrahim Magu with a suspension order yesterday, in order to preserve the anti-corruption efforts of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, DAILY ASSET was told.
The fight against corruption is one of the three cardinal p[rogrammes of the Buhari administration on the premise of which it came to power in 2015.
Magu who was arrested Monday by security operatives spent a night with the Force Criminal Investigation Department(FCID) after he appeared for hours before the Presidential panel investigating corruption allegations against him.
The panel headed by former President, Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Isa Salami(rtd) is investigating allegations that Magu owns property abroad and had being transferring funds illegally abroad through third parties. The allegations were brought against him by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
A presidency source, who preferred not to be named, told DAILY ASSET in Abuja on Tuesday that the probe of the anti-graft boss was a bold statement by the Buhari administration that nobody under “the present administration is above scrutiny’’.
The source said the holder of a high office such as the chairman of the EFCC must be above suspicion, hence the decision of President Buhari to approve investigation of Magu.
He however cautioned against hasty conclusions adding the President was determined to be fair to all parties in the matter.
“The panel investigating allegations against the Acting EFCC Chairman had been sitting for some weeks now.
“In consonance with the principle of fairness and justice, it was needful that the Acting Chairman be given the opportunity to respond to the allegations, which are weighty in nature.
“Under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, nobody is above scrutiny. The investigation is to reinforce transparency and accountability, rather than to vitiate it.
“Accountability for our actions or inactions is an inalienable part of democracy. In such an elevated position as that of EFCC Chairman, the holder of the position must be above suspicion.
“There’s no prejudgment — absolutely none. The Buhari administration can be counted on to uphold fairness and justice at all times,” the source explained.
Magu had been in the eye of the storm for weeks since the AGF wrote the President a memo in which he catalogued infractions by the EFCC boss.
Among others Magu was accused of corrupt handling of recovered assets from persons under investigation. He was also alleged to have travelled to Dubai during the lockdown without permission and for owning four houses abroad.
Malami had even recommended three names for possible replacement of Magu in his memo, which was leaked to the press.
Opinion was sharply divided yesterday, over the the on-going investigation of the EFCC especially the manner of his “invitation” by the panel, which took the form of an arrest by plain clothes security operatives suspected to be officials of the Department of State Services(DSS).
The DSS however, denied involvement in the arrest saga raising suspicion that operatives from the FCID may have carried out the operation.
Credit: https://dailyasset.ng/
