The twenty-seven member
task force, which has Ibrahim Magu as a member, spent most part of the day to
investigate Dokpesi and the other suspects.
The extended questioning of
the high profile suspects, our correspondent learned was to prepare the ground
for their arraignment this week.
The commission had
outsmarted the key suspects by first securing a court order to detain them
beyond the stipulated 48-hour threshold, thereby making it more difficult for
their lawyers to secure their early release.
A top source said most of
the suspects, who had earlier attempted to deny their involvement in the arms
deal, were dumbfounded when confronted with concrete evidence of all the
transactions they had made in the office of the ex-NSA.
“Many of the suspects, who
were claiming ignorance of collecting huge sums of money from the office of the
ex-NSA, were tongue tied when we brought them to face each other. I think they
will soon appear in court to tell the world why they went to the ONSA to sign
and collect huge sums of public money that was not meant for the purposes they
were given,” an EFCC source said.
Apparently to clear the
name of their patriarch, the family of Daar Communications owner, High Chief
Raymond Dokpesi, on Saturday, disagreed with an earlier statement the company
released claiming that it got the $2.1 billion from the office of the ex-NSA for
media and publicity work for the 2015 election.
In the latest statement
released, weekend, the family turned around to say that the $2.1 billion was
personally approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan for a holding company
owned by Dokpesi following a private presentation by the owner to Jonathan.
The family also said that
contrary to claims that the money was collected in respect of promoting the
People’s Democratic Party’s campaign to win the 2015 polls, it was actually
meant to showcase the under reported achievements of President Jonathan’s
government.
The EFCC was making efforts to charge the suspects to court so as
to free its holding facilities for more suspects who are to be taken up for
massive looting of public funds in the last dispensation.
LOBATAN
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