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REVEALED: How FIRS Director Received Over N700 Million Cash Payment

Investigations by the anti-graft agency indicated that Hena and eight others shared N4.5 billion in illegal estacodes and fraudulent Duty Tour Allowances.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has revealed how a former Coordinating Director of Federal Inland Revenue Service, Peter Hena, received over N700 million cash between January 2017 and December 2018.

According to a report by PUNCH, investigations by the anti-graft agency indicated that Hena and eight others shared N4.5 billion in illegal estacodes and fraudulent Duty Tour Allowances.

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The Commission had last Thursday arraigned Hena on 42 counts before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

Also arraigned were the Director of Finance,Mohammed Auta; Amina Sidi (Finance and Account department); Umar Aduka (Internal Audit); Mbura Mustapha (Deputy Manager); Obi Malachy (Services Group); Obaje Adofu (Head of Budget); Udo-Inyang Alfred (Officer II) and Benjamin Jiya (Assistant Director).

A copy of the charge sheet from the EFCC on Tuesday, detailed how the defendants shared the N4.5 billion among themselves.

The statement disclosed that while being FIRS coordinating director, Hena accepted N45 million cash from Auta without going through a financial institution contrary to section 1(a) and punishable under section 16(2) (b) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012.

EFCC investigations also revealed that Hena received another N75 million cash payment from Mbura and N99 million from Okeke.

Count six of the charge further stated, “That you, Peter Hena, while being Co-coordinating director in the Federal Inland Revenue Service between January 2017 and December 2018 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court did accept N127 million from Benjamin Jiya which exceeded N5 million without going through a financial institution contrary to section 1(a) and punishable under section 16(2) (b) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012.”

The first defendant was also said to have received N145 million cash from Sidi of the FIRS Finance and Accounts department.

Detectives also discovered that Hena similarly received N92 million cash from Aduku and another N128.6 million from Auta, who was said to have taken possession of N258.6 million from other FIRS officials.

In addition, the EFCC stated that Auta, as finance director retained N85 million “under the guise that the funds were for stakeholders” when he reasonably ought to have known that the funds formed proceeds of unlawful activities, fraud, corruption and criminal appropriation of public funds.

Aduku was found to have transferred N200 million to Hena, and also paid N97.1 million into his own GTBank account number 0023004712 under the guise of duty tour allowances.

Topics
Corruption