The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has dismissed threat by the political godson of former President Goodluck Jonathan, George Turnah, to institute a N100m defamation suit against it.
The agency also dared him to prove how he amassed his wealth even though he has only worked in the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, and the NDDC.
Turnah had on Sunday, through his lawyers, demanded N100m from the EFCC as compensation for alleged defamatory statements against him.
The embattled former Special Adviser to an ex-Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission is standing trial for an alleged N3bn fraud.
EFCC recently seized more property from Turnah.
The anti-graft agency also froze about seven bank accounts through which Turnah allegedly received billions of naira.
On Monday, Zonal Head of the EFCC, South-South, Ishaq Salihu, said the no law suit whatsoever would not deter commission from prosecuting Turnah.
He said, “We took him (Turnah) to court and we asked the court to give us a forfeiture order because this is somebody that has never worked anywhere apart from the NYSC and the NDDC.
“He worked with the NYSC in 2010 and the rest was in the NDDC. So, he cannot justify the amount of money he has. We should be able to call a spade a spade. The EFCC has gone beyond being cowed in this country.
“We stand by the truth; we did not act arbitrarily; we have a charge and we have taken him to court for it. If at the end of the day, the judge, in his wisdom, finds that we don’t have a case, so be it.
“But we have established a prima facie case against him. This is somebody that took over N75m for beauty pageant and paid N40,000 each to them (participants, instead of N5m).
“This is somebody that got a receipt showing that he paid N25m to a particular television station and at the end, the TV station has replied the EFCC that there was no transaction of such with the man at all.
“We are up to the task. We have one of the best and vibrant legal department in Nigeria in the EFCC and we are not cowed at all.
“We are already in court and we are not going to take issues with him. If anybody commits a crime, he or she should be able to do the time,” Punch quoted Salihu.”
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