The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered a total sum of N37,170,855,753.44 allegedly laundered in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs under the immediate past minister, Sadiya Umar-Farouq.
This was revealed in the ongoing probe of the ministry by the EFCC.
It was gathered that the minister, who served under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, transferred the money from the federal government’s coffers to 38 different bank accounts domiciled in five legacy commercial banks belonging to or connected with a contractor, James Okwete.
A document by the EFCC on the ongoing probe revealed that Okwete received N37 billion from the federal government’s coffers between 2018 and 2023.
Okwete, after receiving the funds, was alleged to have transferred N6,746,034,000.00 to Bureau De Change Operators, withdrew N540,000,000.00 in cash, purchased luxury cars with N288,348,600.00, and bought luxury houses in Abuja and Enugu State with N2,195,115,000.00.
53 companies were traced to Okwete, who was also said to have used 47 of the companies to lift federal government’s contracts amounting to N27,423,824,339.86. He is also linked with 143 bank accounts in 12 commercial banks in which 134 accounts are corporate accounts linked to different companies.
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“Between 2018 and 2023, the subject (Okwete) received the sum of N37,170,855,753.44 from the coffers of the Federal Government linked to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
“The monies were sent to 38 bank accounts domiciled in five legacy commercial banks. The suspect transferred N6,746,034,000.00 to Bureau De Change Operators, N540,000,000.00 withdrawn in cash, N288,348,600.00 used to purchase cars, and used N2,195,115,000.00 to purchase choice properties within Abuja and Enugu State.
“53 companies were traced to the suspect. He used 47 of the companies to lift Federal Government contracts amounting to N27,423,824,339.86. Okwete is associated with 143 bank accounts in 12 commercial banks in which 134 of the 143 accounts are corporate accounts linked to different companies,” the EFCC document obtained by Punch revealed.
It was further gathered, from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), that Okwete is a director in only 11 of the 53 companies, while the remaining 42 companies’ accounts are only linked to his Bank Verification Number (BVN) as a signatory to the accounts.
Umar-Farouq was the pioneer Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. She was appointed by Buhari in July 2019 as the youngest cabinet member.
She started working with Buhari when the latter was the presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
The former minister was the national treasurer of the party and later the national treasurer of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
When contacted over the development, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, neither confirmed nor denied the story, saying: “No comments on that.”
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