The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has completed all required preparations to bring before the court the Chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), Professor Sani Lawan Malumfashi, along with two others, in connection with a suspected N1 billion money laundering case.
Professor Malumfashi is set to appear in court on Monday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, along with Mr. Anas Muhammed Mustapha, the Secretary of KANSIEC, and Mr. Ado Garba, a Deputy Director in the state electoral body's Accounts Department.
This information was disclosed in a statement authored by the Commission's Director of Public Awareness and Education/Spokesperson, Demola Bakare, and shared with the media.
As per the Commission, "The group plotted at some point between November and December 2024 to carry out fraud via a major unauthorized cash deal, disregarding financial rules and current laws that forbid corruption and money laundering."
However, as per the court filing, the ICPC mentioned that its investigation found that "KANSIEC, during Professor Malumfashi's tenure, transferred a total amount of N1,020,000,000.00 (One Billion and Twenty Million Naira) directly from its Unity Bank account to SLM Agro Global Farm's account in November 2024, despite there being no contractual link between KANSIEC and SLM Agro Global Farm."
RELATED: Labour Party launches temporary NWC
It was also mentioned that "Although the defendants, in their statements to investigators, claimed that the transfers to SLM Agro Global were meant to generate funds required to compensate temporary staff involved in the state's local government election, they also asserted that the company returned all such transfers to KANSIEC in cash."
Nevertheless, the ICPC denied this assertion, stating: "The investigation showed something different, as a letter from the defendants to the Manager, Unity Bank, Zoo Road, Kano, outlined a request for the transfer of N59,400,000.00 (Fifty-Nine Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira), along with a cheque for the same amount and a list containing 468 Electoral Officers and 42 Assistant Electoral Officers' bank details for payment via the banking system."
As per the ICPC, the bank complied with this request, and every listed recipient received their payments.
"The Commission noted that their assertion that the banking system or transfers would have been too slow to meet their needs for compensating temporary staff was merely an assumption—a veil to hide corruption and a weak justification for the crime of money laundering," the Commission stated.
The ICPC also mentioned that its inquiry found inconsistencies in the budget submitted for the 2024 election. Despite the budget document (incorrectly labeled "Operation Budget 2025 Elections") allocating N20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira) for a group to carry out candidate screening and verification across 484 wards and 44 local government areas in Kano State, all candidates were actually screened and verified at the Commission’s office in Kano.
The team did not leave Kano, and the candidates visited the KANSIEC office at their own cost. However, the third defendant, in his account to ICPC investigators, stated that the full N20 million was paid in cash to KANSIEC members who formed the screening/verification team.
The group is set to present their arguments on Monday, July 21, 2025.
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
Posting Komentar