[size=14pt]EFCC PROBES SALE OF FIVE U.S HOUSES BY TINUBU[/size] .
Saturday, 26 February 2011 00:00 Nigerian Compass
*Re-opens money laundering investigation
*Alleges $million lodgement in foreign accounts

FAR from being over, the hide-and-seek between former Lagos State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), may have only just begun.

In what appears to be a beaten track, the anti-graft commission has launched a fresh investigation into the activities of the former Governor while he was in office.

The new probe is over the circumstances in which two houses in Maryland, United States of America linked to the former governor were sold.

Suspecting money-laundering, the anti-graft agency is also probing the alleged operation of four million dollar foreign accounts in the U.S. by the former governor.

One of the houses on the radar is located at Limestone Crescent, while another is at Hillmeade Station Drive, both in Maryland.



EFCC operatives, who believe that the money with which the former governor acquired the five houses were from state funds, may soon invite him for interrogation.



The operation of foreign account, if true, offends section three of the Code of Conduct for public officials which states: “The President, Vice -President, Governor, Deputy Governor, Ministers of the Government of the Federation and Commissioners of the Governments of the States, members of the National Assembly and of the Houses of Assembly of the States, and such other public officers or persons as the National Assembly may by law prescribe shall not maintain or operate a bank account in any country outside Nigeria.”

A top official of the EFCC last told the Nigerian Compass on Saturday that the commission was making progress in the investigation.

When similar allegations were made last year, the former Governor ascribed it to an attempt by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to silence him, being a key figure in the opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (A CN).

Tinubu, who has also weathered several other storms including questions about his academic credentials, allegations of drug dealing and financial misappropriation, also declared that he could not be intimidated by anybody or organisation, and dared the EFCC to arrest him.

Last year, he described a statement credited to the EFCC that he was being investigated as a political blackmail and challenged the commission to commence his prosecution and stop hiding under the cloak of perennial investigation if it hasdproven cases against him.

The former Governor said that the repeated claim by the EFCC that it was investigating him without attempts to prosecute him was affecting his reputation, his family and his business prospects.

He said the failure of EFCC to prosecute him despite incessant investigation was provocative, explaining that he had neither obstructed his investigation nor stopped the commission from bringing him to book.

The former governor, who expressed his feelings at a news conference with journalists in his Ikoyi, Lagos home was reacting to reports credited to EFCC Chairman Farida Waziri that the commission had a case file on Tinubu and was still investigating him.

She had specifically mentioned Tinubu’s name as one of the ex-governors under probe.

But Tinubu, who described the move as a political blackmail and a mere reaction to his recent political activism, which he said was manifested in his pursuit of justice in the then recent governorship rerun in Ekiti State, insisted that his right to liberty was being infringed upon.

Disclosing that his purported investigation had begun since 2002 in an attempt to stop him from seeking re-election, Tinubu said he would not be cowed.

He said apart from his last visit to the EFCC and his files which contained the names of his lawyers, nobody had reached out to him nor asked him any question on the alleged corruption allegations.

He, however, said he would not be intimidated; nor succumb to any political blackmail.

His words: ‘I’m not interested in what they are saying, but you cannot perpetually hang the hammer of investigation over my head. It’s not fair. It all started from (Nuhu) Ribadu era, from the year 2002 when they attempted to stop me from re-contesting for a second term.

‘They didn’t succeed. Then, in the following years, they have been talking of Bola Tinubu being under investigation. Each time I aggressively pursue a goal that is anti-establishment position, you find an act of investigation by EFCC or the authority hanging over my head. That continued from 2002 up to year 2007.”

Interestingly, Mallam Ribadu is now the presidential candidate of Tinubu’s A CN in the coming election.

At the press conference, Tinubu had said further: “They used immunity excuse and made all sorts of allegations which I challenged. Ribadu’s claim to the media was that my corruption had international dimension. What is international dimension was not stated there. I went to EFCC. There was no immunity any longer. I provided answers to the questions. What is very annoying is that if they have evidence to prosecute me, this is an era of rule of law, just go to court and prosecute me. Don’t hang the hammer of investigation perpetually on my head. If you have concrete facts, let’s go to court. Let me move on with my life.”

Expressing worry over the perpetual allegations, he said: ‘I have families. I have friends. I have business associates and my right to personal liberty is guaranteed under the constitution. As a result of this blackmail method of one being investigated, my family, my children, a lot of people have been calling me since yesterday. I have never done anything to stop them from investigating me. I have never disturbed their investigation.

‘We’ve seen several cases of even political murders where they said there was no need for further investigation, so many of those cases. Now, how long will you take and when will I be able to have my right back? Because two years after I left office, if you have not come up with concrete evidence that will let you prosecute me, please, keep quiet and let me move on with my life.

‘This idea of announcing Bola Tinubu is under investigation; Tinubu is under investigation, is political blackmail as far as I am concerned. And I hope that Mrs. Waziri will not step on a wrong direction. I’m not going to be intimidated. It’s all about activism and even support that will bring about free and fair election; that will bring about justice in Ekiti and any part of the country. No matter what happens, I will not be intimidated.’

http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76044:efcc-probes-sale-of-five-us-houses-by-tinubu&catid=43:news&Itemid=799

This Tinu[b]m[/b]bu is a thorough rascal.

We all know this politically motivated. That being said, I find this hilarious[color=#990000]. [/color]

Next tym he wont allow his emotions to mk him gv a classic speech as this, “I think the president is wrong because that is an insult to our parents. It is a speech from a drunk sailor fisherman whose boat is about to capsize. That is an insult to our parents, you don’t come to this land, seek our votes and then insult our parents that they raised rascals”, -Tinubu