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On February 20, 2020, the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee publicised a press assertion asserting the arrest and deliberate prosecution of Mohammed Audu for allegedly diverting “a number of hundreds of thousands of U.S. {Dollars} and billions of Naira” donated to the Nigerian Soccer Federation (NFF).
The EFCC additional alleged that Mr Audu diverted the funds for his private use by his firms, Mediterranean Motels Restricted and Mediterranean Sports activities.
Nonetheless, recent findings by PREMIUM TIMES confirmed that the anti-graft company misled the general public on the matter because the company presently has no case towards Mr Audu.
This newspaper discovered that after the assertion was issued, the EFCC interrogated Mr Audu however established no wrongdoing towards him and his companies. The anti-graft company didn’t problem an indictment and neither did it file expenses towards him.
Insiders on the company mentioned after he was quizzed by operatives and was cleared for having no case to reply, Mr Audu requested the EFCC to problem a public assertion indicating that the publicised allegations towards him have been unfaithful. The businessman had argued that the preliminary assertion about his arrest was hurting his popularity and enterprise.
The anti-graft company has, nonetheless, but to problem any such assertion.
Exploiting alternative of NFF probe
On the time Mr Audu was maligned, the EFCC was investigating officers of the Nigeria Soccer Federation (NFF) over allegations of misuse of sponsorship funds. The investigation was triggered by a petition operatives later decided lacked advantage.
One of many sponsors, Aiteo, had employed Mr Audu’s firm, Mediterranean Sports activities, as an agent by which sponsorship funds have been routed by Bismark Rewane’s Monetary Derivatives to the NFF.
It was based mostly on his involvement with the sports activities company firm that he was invited by the EFCC and publicly shamed for alleged fraud. However neither he nor the corporate was ever indicted or charged.
ALSO READ: EFCC arrests Muhammed Audu for alleged fraud
PREMIUM TIMES understands that Mr Audu’s repeated pleas to the EFCC to problem one other assertion to clear his identify have but to be thought of.
EFCC’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, didn’t reply repeated calls or reply to a textual content message requesting his remark for this report.
This medium additionally wrote the company looking for an replace on Mr Audu’s case. No response adopted our letter regardless of repeated reminders.
In the meantime, the Federal Excessive Courtroom in Abuja has since 2019 acquitted all NFF officers charged by the Federal Ministry of Justice over the sponsorship offers allegations.
The courtroom based mostly its verdict on the withdrawal of the fees by the prosecution after the April 2019 Particular Presidential Investigation Panel report that cleared the NFF officers and their companions, together with Mr Audu’s Mediterranean Sports activities.
The EFCC investigation of the NFF was based mostly on the identical problems with alleged sponsorship funds diversion the courtroom tried. Following the courtroom’s judgment, the EFCC closed its investigation.
Nonetheless, the request by Mr Audu that the anti-graft company problem a public assertion clearing him and his firms of any wrongdoing has not been honoured, officers mentioned.
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