Posted by By ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, Abuja on
There are strong indications that all those connected with the N55 million bribery scandal that swept the erstwhile Education Minister, Prof. Fabian Osuji out of office last week, may soon be prosecuted.
There are strong indications that all those connected with the N55 million bribery scandal that swept the erstwhile Education Minister, Prof. Fabian Osuji out of office last week, may soon be prosecuted.
Daily Sun gathered authoritatively that the trio of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Sunday Ehindero, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) boss, Nuhu Ribadu, and Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Col. Kayode Are met for several hours with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) boss, Justice Mustapha Akanbi, late last week.
The meeting was held at the Constitution Avenue headquarters of the ICPC at Abuja's Central Business District. Daily Sun was told the meeting might have been informed by the need to tidy up the arrangement for the prosecution of those involved in the bribery scandal.
Although details of the meeting were not readily available at press time, Daily Sun learnt it may not be unconnected with the N55 million bribery scandal currently rocking the polity. The ICPC is statutorily saddled with the responsibility of prosecuting the case.
Sources at the ICPC headquarters further said although the EFCC report had indicted some people in respect of the scam, the ICPC would not rely solely on the report for the prosecution. It was learnt that ICPC would still have to carry out its own independent investigation to determine the culpability of the indicted persons before prosecuting the case.
Osuji was fired Tuesday last week by President Olusegun Obasanjo, following revelations that he gave a N55 million bribe to National Assembly members to ensure that the ministry's budgetary allocation was
not only passed, but also jacked up.
Osuji, was later to name the number three citizen in the country, Senator Adolphus Wabara as the man who facilitated the bribery transactions. But soon after President Obasanjo's broadcast, the leadership of both the upper and lower chambers of the National Assembly, rose in defence of their colleagues, with Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, challenging the president to take the matter to court, arguing that a mere television conviction was not enough.