Posted by By Femi Babafemi on
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have run into a fix over its continued detention of former military administrator of Lagos State, Brig. Gen Buba Marwa, following its inability to establish that Marwa is owner of the account where the controversial Abacha loot is being kept.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have run into a fix over its continued detention of former military administrator of Lagos State, Brig. Gen Buba Marwa, following its inability to establish that Marwa is owner of the account where the controversial Abacha loot is being kept.
The commission has been keeping Marwa since Friday last week over allegations that he is in custody of some funds looted by the late Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha; a charge he has denied severally and which had been investigated in 2001 and dropped for lack of evidence.
Meanwhile, Chief Afe Babalola's chambers, lawyers to Marwa have said that his continued detention appears to be more political than legal since all investigations into the matter have failed to produce a specific document to establish that Marwa indeed owns the account where the Abacha money was kept.
Speaking for the first time Tuesday, wife of the detained presidential aspirant, Munirat, said it is not possible her husband will own the account without her knowledge, adding that she believes strongly that some shadowy forces are only getting desperate to nail her husband at all cost.
She, however, said that the EFCC officials have been civil in their treatment of the former military administrator, stressing that "he is in good health, reasonably in good spirit and fairly treated".
On whether she has been making efforts to plead with the authorities to release her husband, Chief (Mrs) Marwa said she has mooted the idea to him but he told her not to do so.
A source in Afe Babalola's chambers explained that their lawyers were allowed access to Marwa but expressed surprise that the former administrator is still being held, adding that there is no need to keep him when he has been honouring EFCC invitations. When contacted, head of the chambers in Lagos, Barrister Olu Daramola declined comments, saying it is only Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) who can speak on the matter.
When Daily Sun spoke with Chief Babalola on phone, he dismissed the development as a "no case."
This may have brought to the fore the political angle to the case as some security sources have continued to finger the National Security Adviser, Gen. Aliyu Gusau as the brain behind Marwa's ordeal to satisfy his own political interest.
According to sources, the NSA may have instigated a Swiss law firm investigating Abacha's loot to implicate Marwa through a letter written to President Obasanjo.
It was further learnt that the NSA had called Marwa to show him a copy of the President's response to the Swiss firm's letter.
According to the letter, which was curiously leaked to a national daily on Sunday, President Obasanjo acknowledged the Swiss firm's finding and asked them to conduct further investigations.
The letter personally signed by President Obasanjo and believed to be in custody of only the NSA and the president was, however, leaked to the press on Sunday perhaps in a bid to show Obasanjo as the force behind Marwa's ordeal.