$15m Ibori bribe: EFCC quizzes Uba

By Yusuf Alli  

 

UBA

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission  (EFCC) has quizzed Senator Andy Uba over the alleged $15million bribe given to a former Chairman of the commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
Uba, a  former Special Adviser to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, appeared before an investigation team  at the anti-graft agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday  and yesterday.
Clad in a white top over white trousers, the Senator was grilled for hours on what he knew about how the bribe was offered and his role in an application filed by a businessman seeking to recovered the cash.
According to a source, the Senator was invited as a result of an affidavit sworn to at  a Federal High Court,  Abuja by a businessman, Mr.  Chibuike Achigbu.
Following the conviction of Ibori by a UK Court , the Delta State Government had gone to a Federal High Court to apply for the return of the bribe sum, which is being kept with the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN).
But  Achigbu initially filed an application on August 29 before a Federal High Court claiming that  the money belongs to him.
He said he gave the money to a former presidential aide, Dr. Andy Uba, to finance the  Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) during the 2007 elections
Barely 72 hours after filing an application for the return of the  $15 million  to him, he made a U-Turn by withdrawing the matter.
The withdrawal made the EFCC to launch a full-scale investigation into how the bribe came about and the sponsors of the botched suit.
The  source in the commission, who spoke in confidence, said: “Though Uba had distanced himself from the botched suit  of Achigbu, we  decided to invite him based on the weight of some averments in the affidavit of the suspect.
“We chose to give the Senator an opportunity to clear the air on whether he played any role or not in how the bribe sum was offered by Ibori.
“So far, we have taken the Senator’s statement and if there is any need to further interact with him, we will do so. But this fact-finding does not amount to the indictment of anyone yet.
“We also felt that Achigbu was not acting alone in demanding the return of the bribe sum. That is why we may also invite some lawyers connected with  the matter which was curiously withdrawn from court.”
Replying to a question, the source added: “The investigation of Achigbu is still on, he is only on administrative bail.”

SOURCE: 19 September 2012.