Olushola Omogbehin
The House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council has disclosed a network of about 58 bank accounts allegedly linked to its detained Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi with an alleged N400 million transaction which the committee said may have involved fraudulent representations.
The committee revealed as well that more than 30 of the identified accounts appeared to have been operated in the names of about nine agencies, companies, foundations and related entities.
These entities according to PUNCH, are all allegedly connected to Adeyemi which raised the fundamental questions about the ownership, control and purpose of the organisations.
This was disclosed by the Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, on Wednesday during the presentation of the panel’s preliminary report to parliamentary correspondents in Abuja on the conditions that bother on the council’s inclusion in the Federal Budget Framework.
Gagdi explained that the preliminary information obtained from financial and investigative institutions showed that the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and other identifying details associated with Adeyemi were connected to a substantial network of personal, corporate, organisational and foundation accounts.
Some of the entities revealed by the committee include the Confederation of United Nations Youths; FCT Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership; FCT Investment Promotion Council, Public-Private Partnership, Foreign Investment Promotion Agency; United Nations Youth Global Agency and United Nations Youth Global Foundation.
Others are World United Nations Youth Global Foundation; World Entrepreneurship University Limited; World Enterprise University Limited; FCT Investment Promotion Act; FCT Promotion Agency; and Olubadan of Ibadan Foundation.
According to Gadgi, the panel was still “reconciling registration records, account mandates, beneficial ownership information, signatories and transaction histories to establish the true nature and control of the organisations and accounts.”
The committee however discovered what it called “similarities in the nomenclature, objectives, management structures, signatories and banking relationships of several of the entities which raised concerns over a possible pattern of creating or deploying organisations to manufacture artificial credibility, solicit funds, obtain official recognition or induce members of the public to part with money.
The report in PUNCH also revealed that of a particular concern is an alleged N400 million transaction involving a company which claimed that Adeyemi induced it to make payments in four instalments after allegedly representing that he could secure a contract for the renovation, furnishing or improvement of a purported official residence allocated to him in his claimed capacity as PFIPC Director-General.
The committee as disclosed by Gadgi is still tracing the destination of the funds, identifying the account holders and beneficial owners.
The committee is still yet to determine whether any public officer or private individual participated in, facilitated or benefited from the transaction.
Beyond the financial trail, the committee said it had uncovered evidence suggesting that the PFIPC itself was never lawfully established because no Act of the National Assembly, gazetted enactment, Presidential Executive Order or other lawful instrument creating the purported council.
“The committee also found evidence of alleged fabrication of official documents, including a purported presidential appointment letter for Adeyemi, a purported Executive Order and a document presented as an Act of the National Assembly establishing the organisation.”
Gagdi further disclosed that evidence obtained from the State House established that the purported appointment letter was neither issued nor signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila because the letterhead and reference number were inconsistent with official State House correspondence.
The committee therefore exonerated Gbajabiamila from allegations of authorising, establishing or participating in the activities of the purported council, praising him for what it described as timely interventions after alerts concerning the organisation were brought to his attention.
“The documentary evidence presently before the Committee does not establish that the Chief of Staff authorised, approved, established or participated in the activities of the purported organisation.
“The evidence showed that Gbajabiamila promptly communicated with relevant security and investigative agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, Office of the National Security Adviser, Department of State Services and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, after receiving alerts concerning the activities of the organisation, Gagdi said,
In the report, Gadgi said the development, exposed serious weaknesses in the verification of government institutions, the creation of administrative and budget codes, the authentication of official correspondence, the allocation of government accommodation and the processing of official-looking vehicle number plates.
The report revealed as well that about 39 persons were also represented as employees of the purported organisation, with the committee investigating their recruitment, appointment letters, identity cards, remuneration and allegations that some prospective employees were required to make payments as a condition for employment.
The panel therefore appealed to government agencies to make sure that “no appropriation, administrative code, warrant, cash backing, financial release or governmental facility should be processed in favour of the purported organisation.”
The committee commended the Nigeria Police Force, DSS, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and ONSA for their contributions to tracing the alleged fabricated documents, associated entities, financial accounts and transactions.
