The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has confirmed its readiness to commence probe into a petition against former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, for allegedly using Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to divert public funds between 1999 and 2007.
Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, had submitted the petition against Atiku in the build-up to the just-concluded 2023 presidential poll in which Atiku was the candidate of the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In the case filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, by the Festus Keyamo Chamber, the plaintiff joined CCB, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants respectively, while Atiku is the first defendant.
The plaintiff also sought a declaration of the court that the 1st defendant (Atiku) is under a legal obligation to make available to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants, for the purpose of aiding their investigation, information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a “Special Purpose Vehicles” to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.
A statement signed by John Ainetor, Assistant Head of Chambers in Keyamo’s law firm in Lagos said, “The Bureau has invited our client Mr. Festus Keyamo to come forward to adopt his petition and to help it to secure the presence of the whistleblower, Mr. Michael Achimugu to assist in the investigation.
“Mr. Keyamo assures that the crusade for accountability in respect of this issue was not a campaign gimmick, as he promises to follow it through to a logical conclusion, even after the victory of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.”
Credit: Leadership