EFCC Press Release
Justice Valentine B. Ashi of the FCT High
Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday, September 3, 2014 refused the application
of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in which it sought to
set aside an earlier order by the court restraining the Commission from
arresting Ali Bala Salihi, an Assistant Comptroller General, Nigeria Prison
Service, over his alleged involvement in a case of criminal diversion of funds.
The EFCC had in July 2014 invited Salihi to
respond to the petition filed against him by Coscharis Motors Limited.
Salihi turned down the Commission’s invitation on two occasions, before
obtaining an ex-parte order from Justice Ashi restraining the EFCC from further
action in respect of the case, pending the hearing and determination of the
substantive motion.
Counsel to EFCC, Dian N. Nkwap had asked the
court to vacate the order “as the respondent will not carry out any act that
will infringe on the rights of the suspect,’’ adding that he was only invited
to state his side of the case which he failed to do.
Salihi was alleged to have diverted the sum
of N54,375,793.00 (fifty four million, three hundred and seventy five thousand,
seven hundred and ninety three naira) being the value of 491 units of
motorcycle supplied by Coscharis Motors Limited to the Nigeria Prisons, Bauchi
Zonal Command sometime in 2010 when he held sway as the Zonal Commander.
The petitioner, Coscharis Motors Limited,
stated that, the motorcycles were supplied to the Zonal Prisons Multipurpose
Cooperative Society under motorcycle loan scheme.
The Cooperative Society allegedly defaulted in
the payment of the loan and paid part of the proceeds of the sales
directly into Salihi’s personal bank account at Unity, Zenith, UBA and Ecobank
respectively.
Efforts to recover the money, according to the
petitioner, were unsuccessful hence the petition.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
5th September, 2014
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