Alleged N10B Fraud: EFCC Confronts Akpabio With Evidence Of Transactions

Operatives of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, yesterday, grilled
former Governor Godswill Akpabio for over
seven hours, and confronted him with
evidence of alleged financial impropriety
while he held sway in Akwa Ibom State.
The interrogation of Akpabio by the agency,
it was learnt, made it possible for him to
come face-to- face with what was described
as major financial transactions, on the
second day with operatives, carried out by
his administration, consequent upon which
he was asked to provide explanation..
The transactions, estimated at N108 billion,
according to EFCC sources, were, however,
said to have been stoutly defended by
Akpabio, who claimed he had the power as
governor to authorize such monumental
expenditure "in the interest of the state and
its people".
The anti-graft agency, acting on petitions
filed against Akpabio and his
administration, had, on Friday, summoned
the former governor and grilled him.
Sources claimed that evidence extracted
from the accounts staff in Uyo Government
House as well as ministries, agencies and
departments was used to confront the
Senate Minority Leader yesterday.
One of the sources told Sunday Vanguard that
the former governor was still being grilled
by the EFCC operatives as at 6pm after he
arrived the headquarters around 11:45am.
"The former governor is still with our
operatives, who are taking him up on a
number of financial transactions that
required clarifications from him and his
officials", the source added.
"We really need to know how and why
certain transactions were carried out and if
such huge withdrawals in certain cases,
based on evidence before us, complied with
laid down financial regulations or the said
amount of money was wrongly spent."
But the former governor denied any
wrongdoing, while claiming that the
allegations were tissues of lies.
Akpabio, who spoke through Akwa Ibom
State Commissioner for Information, Mr.
Aniekan Umanah, said those accusing him
of impropriety did not know the workings of
government.
Umanah said:"Every sum withdrawn from a
government account is tied to a subhead
and there must be a budgetary provision. To
attribute fraud to withdrawals, which had
the full sanction of government and was
accommodated in the budget, is strange,
mischievous and untenable. More so, when
one understands that there are checks and
balances which guide all aspects of
government financial administration."
He said the allegation that the state
government spent N50 billion on the March
general elections falls flat based on his
explanation of the workings of government
on financial transactions.
"There was no such provision in the budget
of this year and such an amount could not
have been paid as an extra-budgetary
expenditure and yet salaries and other
commitments were met. We challenge the
petitioners to provide proof to support this
wild allegation. Who was it paid to? How
was it paid? Where was it paid? And when
was it paid,"the commissioner said.
"Senator Akpabio does not own a 25-storey
building in Victoria Island or in any part of
the world, as alleged by the petitioner. It is
also patent falsehood that the house at 22
Probyn Road, Ikoyi belongs to Senator
Akpabio.
"It is a rented building which ownership
can be verified from the Lagos State Lands
Registry.
"Senator Akpabio does not own the
properties mentioned in the petition to
belong to him. You can verify the ownership
of the properties (5 Okokosi Close, Maitama
and Plot 28 Colorado Close, Maitama) from
the land registry in Abuja," he said.
He also denied that the state received over
N2 trillion as oil allocation.
"Please do note that the idea that the Akwa
Ibom State government received over N2.5
trillion in the eight years of the Akpabio
administration is an outrageous lie.
"What this suggests is that the state
government received an average of N26
billion monthly for the period. What a lie!
From published accounts of disbursement
from the Federation Account, Akwa Ibom
State never received up to N26 billion in any
month throughout the period.