The Senator representing Delta North, Peter Nwaoboshi, on Friday accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of waging a war of vendetta against him over allegation that he failed to execute a N4 billion contract awarded to his firm.
EFCC had revealed that detectives were also looking into how the lawmaker operates 20 accounts in six banks with different signatories.
The senator is also accused of using a company, to buy a 12-storey building in Apapa, Lagos, belonging to the Delta State Government for N805 million.
It was gathered that the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) record showed that the senator “did not declare all the companies and bank accounts he has despite being operational prior to the time he made the declaration”.
The senator’s investigation followed a petition from Delta State, which alleged that he owns a firm which was awarded a N1,580,000,000 contract by the Direct Labour Agency to supply construction equipment.
His firm was alleged to have secured contracts from nine local government areas in Delta worth over N2billion when it was yet to be registered under the Company and Allied Matters Act.
The firm was alleged to have secured N474, 936,000 contract from the Waste Management Board to supply bulldozers, payloaders and tipper lorries.
An EFCC source said detectives discovered that the senator’s company imported and supplied used equipment, contrary to the specifications in the bill of quantity.
“Our team has discovered that the senator’s personal and companies’ bank accounts were linked to a bank verification number (BVN) which has more than 20 accounts domiciled in six banks.
“But his relative is the sole signatory to the accounts. Also located is one foreign account identified with the senator in HSBC Bank in Marbile Arch London, United Kingdom.
“The senator has questions to respond to bordering on false asset declaration, official corruption, procurement fraud, tax avoidance, false information, impersonation and embezzlement of public funds.”
Presenting his side of the story, Senator Nwaoboshi told reporters in Abuja that the claims of the EFCC were aimed at tarnishing his image.
The lawmaker said that there was no fraud in the execution of a N2.1billion contract awarded his company, Biderberg Enterprises Limited, by the Delta State Government in 2010.
Nwaoboshi, chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDCC), insisted that the allegations followed his opposition to the confirmation of the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.
Nwaoboshi said: “Why is the EFCC coming up against me now over contracts diligently and transparently executed seven years ago by my company, if not for misplaced vendetta that cannot in any way silence me or compromise my principled stance over some salient national issues before the Senate.
”Delta State government that awarded the contract is not complaining or any notable stakeholder in the state.
”So what interest is the EFCC serving over the matter when nobody from the state had raised any issue bordering on corruption as far as the contract is concerned or the 12-storey building bought in Lagos by one of my companies which was not undervalued as being alleged.
”Even the other issue reportedly raised by the EFCC as regards multiple bank accounts by my brother is ridiculous because there is no law in the land that limits the number of bank accounts any individual in the society should have.”
He noted that the signatory to such multiple bank accounts allegedly owned by his junior brother was not his, as being alleged by the EFCC.
He wondered why “the EFCC rushed to the press to spread falsehood against him without any need to interface with me and my brother as practised worldwide as far as investigation is concerned.
“No doubt, with what I’ve read in the papers against me from the EFCC, Magu is at it again, but unfortunately for him, this cannot silence me to back out of the Senate’s collective decision against his confirmation and let me add that as a lawyer of 27 years, Magu and his cohorts shall definitely meet me in court”.
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