Posted by Written by Boco Edet, Daily Trust, Tuesday on
Despite his towering profile as an anti-corruption fighter, Malam Nuhu Ribadu bought choice properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; in the British cities of Leeds and Chelsea as well as in Abuja's posh Maitama District while he was boss of the anti-grant agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said yesterday.
* RIBADU BOUGHT HOUSES IN DUBAI, LEEDS
Despite his towering profile as an anti-corruption fighter, Malam Nuhu Ribadu bought choice properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; in the British cities of Leeds and Chelsea as well as in Abuja's posh Maitama District while he was boss of the anti-grant agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said yesterday.
A senior official in the agency indentified the properties acquired by Ribadu to include the house at No 18, Mambilla Street, off Udi Hills Street, Maitama; a flat at Palm Beach estate, Dubai; and another property at 29, Kingsway, Leeds in the United Kingdom. The official could not however ascertain the address of the Chelsea property that Ribadu allegedly bought.
The source said EFCC's former boss also failed to declare his assets at the Code of Conduct Bureau in violation of the requirement for all public officers. Similarly, Ribadu was accused of presiding over the sale of some properties that were confiscated by the agency from the owners for investigation.
The source said EFCC's current Chairman Mrs. Farida Waziri ordered an investigation into a deluge of petitions written against the former anti-graft tsar accusing him of acquiring several properties while in office.
In the course of the investigations, he said operatives discovered that Ribadu had acquired properties in Leeds and Chelsea in England, Dubai and in Abuja while heading the commission.
It was this discovery, he said, that prompted EFCC to write a letter to the Code of Conduct Bureau on October 21, this year requesting them to furnish the commission with information regarding Ribadu's declared assets. A reply was forwarded to the commission on Oct 24 signed by Chief Ikechi Iwuagwu, stating that Riba-du never declared his assets.
An excerpt of the letter reads, 'Kindly find attached herewith certified true Copy of Assets Declaration form in respect of Nuhu Ribadu. From our records there is no evidence to show that Mallam Nuhu Ribadu declared his assets during his tenure as EFCC Chairman.'
The Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Chapter 56 LFN 1990 gave the Bureau the mandate to establish and maintain a high standard of public morality in the conduct of Government Business and to ensure that the actions and behaviour of public officers conform to the highest standard of public morality and accountability.
In line with this, the bureau is charged with the functions of receiving declarations by public officers, examine the declarations, retain custody of such declarations and make them available for inspection by any citizen of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the source also clarified on the invitation written by EFCC to Ribadu on Oct 24, which was communicated through the Inspector General of Police (IGP). He said at present, EFCC has ten litigations in court brought against it by persons whose over assets and properties Ribadu sold while serving as EFCC chairman.
Those assets were part of the proceeds of crime recovered from various suspects, he said.
He said, 'Some buyers, bidders and owners have started taking us to court and we have no record of these properties sold to defend ourselves against some of these litigations.
We don't know how much or who bought what. We don't even know where the properties are. That was actually the basis of the invitation, so we can use it to tackle some of these litigations in court.'
Malam Nuhu Ribadu was said to have shunned an invitation to brief Mrs. Waziri when she took over the agency, saying that whatever briefing was needed could be done by the former acting Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde who took over from Ribadu when he left to study at NIPSS.
The source however said Ribadu only handed over a 3 page document to Lamorde before his exit and in the document, he was still referring to himself as the substantive EFCC Chairman.
'The document had little or no information and we are aware that there are issues of missing files, documents and prosecutions that need to be clarified.
He mentioned there were investigations then that are not part of the handover note. There are also some basic administration issues that need to be sorted out. This is why Ribadu was invited.'
The source said EFFC wrote to the IGP urging him to make Ribadu appear before the commission.
When contacted last night, EFCC's spokesperson Femi Babafemi said he was aware of a number of petitions against Ribadu and stated that the commission is looking into them.
He added that the cases have not only been instituted by buyers of the property who feel short changed but by bidders and the initial owners of such properties.
When Daily Trust called Ribadu's former Chief of Staff Dapo Olorunyomi for comments, he said he was driving a car and could not comment.