Posted by By Emmanuel Aziken on
ON-GOING interrogation of Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have been prompted by President Olusegun Obasanjo's confirmation of the payment of $16 million allegedly paid into the account of the retired army officer.
ABUJA - ON-GOING interrogation of Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have been prompted by President Olusegun Obasanjo's confirmation of the payment of $16 million allegedly paid into the account of the retired army officer.
President Obasanjo had in a letter dated April 17, 2004 directed Mr. Enrico Monfrini, a financial forensic expert and an agent of the Federal Government working to help the Nigerian government uncover ill-gotten wealth stashed abroad, to uncover the source of the money.
Marwa, a presidential aspirant and leading figure in the People's Democratic Party (PDP), had been invited by the EFCC over some yet undisclosed petition last Thursday.
The letter:
'I have carefully gone through your letter of 5th April 2004 and that of 13th April 2004. While your argument is sufficiently sound, I have always maintained that in all cases, as I may be called upon to report in detail to Nigerians, I want to be able to satisfy myself that all necessary avenues were explored, all facts laid bare and the actions being taken are possibly the best in the circumstances.
'Having said this, let me thank you for the efforts you are making with regards to the US$16 million paid to the account of Colonel Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd.). This money must be chased to its destination. It is not impossible that some of this money, if not all of it, have been used to establish his business and the pursuit of his recent philanthropic projects across Nigeria. I count on you to bring everything into the open leaving no stone unturned to get to the bottom of this issue.
'Secondly, I do not accept your position that we cannot find out from Tata Overseas Sales and Services Limited AS (TOS) in India the amount of over-invoicing on the purchase of these so-called ‘troop/personnel carrier vehicles' and spare parts to the Ministry of Defence as well as for vehicles purchased for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of Nigeria. I am sure that with some pain and rigour, we can find out how much was paid to Tata by Mr. Bhojwani and how much Nigeria paid to Mr. Bhojwani. We would also be able to establish whatever reasonable profit should have been involved in the transactions. We can then confront Bhojwani with facts and if negotiations have to take place, we will know on what basis.
'I am asking Mr. Peter Gana to also work with you closely in this area. I will appreciate all that you can do to have insights into Standard Chartered Bank in Dubai because I have a feeling that Bhojwani may not be the only culprit that made use of Dubai. There may have been others, Nigerian and non-Nigerian exploiters of Nigeria who may have deposited looted funds in Dubai. Please leave no stone unturned to help in this regard. Again, thank you for your efforts. I look forward to receiving more reports from you soonest."