Bello on Tuesday accused the EFCC of misinterpreting facts, while fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja, noting that banks had denied that Kogi had such an account.
The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has denied the revelation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission about a N20billion scandal rocking his administration.
Bello on Tuesday accused the EFCC of misinterpreting facts, while fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja, noting that banks had denied that Kogi had such an account.
”No Kogi State government’s salary account is frozen; none whatsoever. None of our accounts is frozen and no embargo placed on any of our accounts by EFCC at all.
”I think it’s just a misrepresentation of facts or is a joke taken too far. My information commissioner and all those that are concerned with that lies peddled by the EFCC; I think they have responded appropriately.
"The bank has denied that we have such an account. There’s no N20billion account, or N19billion, no fixed deposit account. So, I don’t know where the lie is coming from. I think in the days ahead, you will hear exactly how the matter shall be resolved. That’s why I said that is a joke taken too far.”
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Government’s salary bailout account domiciled in a commercial bank had been frozen by the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court over an alleged N20billion loan obtained from it.
The account was frozen by the court following an ex parte application brought by the EFCC, pending the conclusion of the investigation or possible prosecution.
The EFCC council, Abass Muhammed, had informed the court that the order was necessary to preserve the ‘res’ (the fund in question) and abate further dissipation of the funds in the account.