BEVERLY HILLS, October 04, (THEWILL) – The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has ordered an arrest warrant against the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu.
Magu is to be brought before the Committee on November 7 to answer questions in connection with a petition by former First Lady and wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, sent to the House.
Jonathan’s wife had petitioned the House, alleging harassment of her person and firms linked to her associates by the EFCC, the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency and that her personal bank accounts and those of the firms had been frozen on the directive of the EFCC.
However, the panel, which is chaired by a member from Abia State, Mr. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, said on Wednesday that Magu had shunned “several invitations” to appear in connection with the matter but the NDLEA and FIRS had been appearing before the panel to respond to the petition.
The panel had earlier been adjourned till Wednesday with expectations that Magu would show up he did not turn up and the EFCC sent no representations to the session.
After a motion on arrest warrant moved by the Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Mr. Kingsley Chinda, the panel passed a resolution for Magu’s arrest.
However, the committee also ordered all the companies linked to Jonathan’s wife to submit their statements of audited accounts to the FIRS within two weeks to afford the FIRS the opportunity to assess them for tax payment and ascertain the level of tax compliance since they started operations.
The Committee had also summoned eight banks over the freezing of the accounts of Patience and her companies by the EFCC.
The banks, Fidelity Bank; Ecobank; Union Bank; Skye Bank; Diamond Bank; First Bank; Zenith Bank; and Stanbic Bank, explained that while it was true that Patience secured court orders unfreezing a number of the accounts, the EFCC also appealed the court decisions.
The panel later resolved that the banks and Patience’s lawyers should hold a reconciliation meeting to determine the accounts that were frozen on court directives and those that had no legal issues.
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