The Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday grilled Rear Admiral Alison Madueke
(retd.), for several hours at its head office in Abuja.
Madueke, who
is the husband of the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani,
was said to have honoured an invitation by the commission.
The
interrogation of Madueke, one of our correspondents learnt, followed the
discovery of about $600,000 in his personal accounts.
He was said
to have been released on administrative bail while his passport was seized by
the anti-graft agency.
He was also asked
to return to the EFCC at a later date to answer more questions.
The lawyer
for the Madueke family, Mr. Oscar Onwudiwe, confirmed that the former Chief of
Naval Staff was at the EFCC office.
He, however,
said he did not know the reason for his invitation.
Onwudiwe
said, “He honoured an invitation by the EFCC and has left.”
When asked
why Madueke was invited, the lawyer said, “I really do not know. The EFCC has
become something else under this government. They have been empowered and
believe the best way to work is to leak stories to the media.”
On the
allegation of money laundering, Onwudiwe said, “I don’t know. I haven’t spoken
to him yet.”
Attempts to
get the EFCC’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, did not succeed as calls to his
mobile phone did not connect.
A top
operative in the commission, who confided in Punch, said
the former Chief of Naval Staff had been released.
“He was
summoned over $600,000 allegedly found in his accounts. He has been given an
administrative bail.”
Meanwhile,
the commission has moved the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief
Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.), from Abuja to Lagos as its investigations into the
$2.1bn arms scandal intensify.
Punch learnt on
Wednesday from a reliable source within the EFCC that some of Badeh’s
properties in Lagos might be searched and seized by the commission.
Badeh, who
has been in the custody of the anti-graft agency since February 8, is being
questioned in connection with arms contracts totalling $930.5m, which were
allegedly awarded under his leadership.
The money is
said to be part of the $2.1bn meant for arms purchase, which was under the
control of the Office of the National Security Adviser, headed then by Col.
Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
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