Contrary to the report by some newspapers that a court had
slammed the EFCC for illegally detaining Azibaola despite a court order
instructing the commission to release him, the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission has denied reports that an FCT High Court accused the EFCC of
illegally holding Mr. Robert Azibaola, a cousin of former President Goodluck
Jonathan.
Read the statement release by the agency in part,
“The attention of the EFCC has been drawn to a report
entitled, ‘Judge faults EFCC over detention of Jonathan’s cousin’, which
appeared in a number of newspapers on Friday May 27, 2016.
“The syndicated story tended to create the wrong notion that
Justice Olasumbo Goodluck of the FCT High Court condemned the commission for
allegedly violating the fundamental rights of Roberts Azibaola, a suspect that
is under investigation for receiving $40m in a phantom contract from the Office
of the National Security Adviser.
“This is further from what transpired in court on Wednesday
May 25, 2016 when her lordship delivered ruling in the fundamental rights
enforcement application of Azibaola.
“Contrary to the impression created by the jaundiced report,
the court did not fault the detention of Azibaola by the EFCC as her lordship
held that a remand warrant was validly obtained by the respondent in line with
provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and consequently
dismissed the application of Azibaola for lack of merit.
“The court merely frowned at the commission’s inability to
produce the suspect in line with an earlier order of court on the ex-parte
application of Azibaola for which counsel representing the EFCC apologised to
her lordship.
“The commission had earlier filed a motion asking the court
to set aside the ex-parte order on the grounds that it was obtained by false
information, which the court rejected.
“It must be stated that the EFCC is a law abiding entity and
could not have taken any action that would disregard the sanctity of the
court.”
Azibaola had been arrested in late March for allegedly
receiving $40m for a dubious pipeline contract through a former National
Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
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