El-Rufai to face 150 more charges over N3bn fraud By Olufemi Adeosun, Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission may soon prefer 150 criminal charges against a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, over an alleged N3bn fraud.

An EFCC source, who made this known to our correspondent in Abuja on Monday, claimed that a former aide to el-Rufai, Mr. Jimmy Lawal, one Mr. Abas Umar, and an unnamed person (now at large), were used by the former minister as the conduit pipes for misappropriating the N3bn.

The former minister is currently having a pending case bordering on abuse of office before a Federal High Court, Abuja.

Our source said that a fresh investigation into el-Rufai’s tenure in the FCT ministry revealed that he sold about 22,0052 Federal Government houses without proper accountability.

It was gathered that after the Federal Government and the FCT administration had shared about N27bn out of the proceeds of the sales of the houses, it was expected that there would be a balance of N34bn.

The source added that due to an alleged criminal conspiracy by the former minister and the ad hoc committee set up to supervise the sales, the N3bn had been misappropriated.

According to him, the committee members, in a bid to cover their activities, failed to keep proper records and accounts.

For instance, they were alleged to have paid about N104m into its “operation account,” instead of the proceeds account.

Apart from that, about N168m was also said to have been spent by the committee without any records showing how the money was disbursed.

“All the payments made into the committee operation accounts were a breach of due process and a ploy to divert public money into their own private pockets,” the source said.

It was, however, gathered that Lawal, a former managing director of the liquidated Alpha Merchant Bank, and Umar had since left the country to prevent their arrest.

When contacted, the Head, Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Femi Babafemi, confirmed that fresh charges would be brought against El-Rufai.

Pressed further, he said, “I can only tell you that fresh charges will be filed against the former minister very soon.”

El-Rufai, who is currently undergoing a study at the Harvard University, United States, was arraigned before an Abuja High court on an eight-count charge of corruption before the Federal High Court 2 in Abuja.

He was accused of fraudulently allocating 10 plots of lands to his family members and cronies, an act considered as a breach of oath of office.

The case is being pursued by the EFCC in order to set in motion, the process of his extradition to face trial.