December 30, 2008
Nigeria’s famous corrupt governors, beginning with Edo State’s Lucky Igbinedion, have a big Christmas bonanza coming to them, courtesy of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri. They will receive a plea deal that will enable them to avoid prosecution, enjoy their freedom, and keep most of what they stole while in office.
To begin with, sources say the EFCC leadership has "accepted" to withdraw charges against the former Governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion. Mr. Igbinedion was accused of stealing N4.4 billion from the coffers of Edo State between 1999 and 2007. When his immunity expired, the EFCC declared him wanted and was subsequently arrested after returning to Nigeria from an overseas trip.
The deal, which is being brokered by the chairman of the Police Service Commission, Parry Osayande, will enable Igbinedion to walk away with his vast properties, including palatial houses in Nigeria, the UK, USA, South Africa and Canada. And he will avoid jail time and be free to return to his lifestyle of leisure, travel and parties.
A source at the EFCC told SaharaReporters that the Mrs. Waziri wants to use the "plea bargain" with Igbinedion to test the waters before employing the same tactic to free all of the former governors facing trial. The source said Mrs. Waziri does not plan to try any more former governors because she has compromised herself sufficiently irreparably at their hands.
As expected some EFCC officials are kicking against the plea deal with Igbinedion. Some of them who spoke to SaharaReporters anonymously at the weekend said that Mr. Igbinedion was the person who made the proposal to the EFCC. They said that Mr. Igbinedion’s proposal, described by an analyst as a “slap on the wrist for a slap in the face of the people of Edo State,” includes paying a N250 million—a fraction of his loot—over 10 years, and forfeiting one of his smaller houses in Benin City.
It would be recalled that in the cases of former governor DSP Alamaieyeseigha, EFCC prosecutors made him forfeit all his properties in Nigeria and the UK, and the same applied to former Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun.
But under Mrs. Waziri's plea deal, Mr. Igbinedion will retain all of his properties and an additional N4.1 billion including his properties all over the world. Apart from the N4.4 billion naira directly pilfered from Edo State, Mr. Igbinedion and his Delta State counterpart, James Ibori had converted funds belonging to Delta and Edo states (which formerly made up Bendel State), to purchase shares from Nigerian AFRIBANK.
Although the EFCC forced the two governors to return the shares to the coffers of their respective States, SaharaReporters has learnt that the Delta State government did not properly convert the shares back. Attempts at finding out what became of the shares have been stalled by the current chairman of Afribank, Osa Osunde, a well known front for Mr. Igbinedion.
To begin with, sources say the EFCC leadership has "accepted" to withdraw charges against the former Governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion. Mr. Igbinedion was accused of stealing N4.4 billion from the coffers of Edo State between 1999 and 2007. When his immunity expired, the EFCC declared him wanted and was subsequently arrested after returning to Nigeria from an overseas trip.
The deal, which is being brokered by the chairman of the Police Service Commission, Parry Osayande, will enable Igbinedion to walk away with his vast properties, including palatial houses in Nigeria, the UK, USA, South Africa and Canada. And he will avoid jail time and be free to return to his lifestyle of leisure, travel and parties.
A source at the EFCC told SaharaReporters that the Mrs. Waziri wants to use the "plea bargain" with Igbinedion to test the waters before employing the same tactic to free all of the former governors facing trial. The source said Mrs. Waziri does not plan to try any more former governors because she has compromised herself sufficiently irreparably at their hands.
As expected some EFCC officials are kicking against the plea deal with Igbinedion. Some of them who spoke to SaharaReporters anonymously at the weekend said that Mr. Igbinedion was the person who made the proposal to the EFCC. They said that Mr. Igbinedion’s proposal, described by an analyst as a “slap on the wrist for a slap in the face of the people of Edo State,” includes paying a N250 million—a fraction of his loot—over 10 years, and forfeiting one of his smaller houses in Benin City.
It would be recalled that in the cases of former governor DSP Alamaieyeseigha, EFCC prosecutors made him forfeit all his properties in Nigeria and the UK, and the same applied to former Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun.
But under Mrs. Waziri's plea deal, Mr. Igbinedion will retain all of his properties and an additional N4.1 billion including his properties all over the world. Apart from the N4.4 billion naira directly pilfered from Edo State, Mr. Igbinedion and his Delta State counterpart, James Ibori had converted funds belonging to Delta and Edo states (which formerly made up Bendel State), to purchase shares from Nigerian AFRIBANK.
Although the EFCC forced the two governors to return the shares to the coffers of their respective States, SaharaReporters has learnt that the Delta State government did not properly convert the shares back. Attempts at finding out what became of the shares have been stalled by the current chairman of Afribank, Osa Osunde, a well known front for Mr. Igbinedion.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });