Few days after the Presidential Panel investigating the allegations of corruption leveled against the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu prevented him from submitting his defense, another attempt on Thursday, July 23, 2020, has been reportedly rebuffed.
Magu, and his lawyer, Wahab Shittu had reportedly approached the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel to submit the 34-page letter with 100 annexure but were unable to do so.
Magu’s lawyer, Shittu, disclosed that they were not allowed to submit their defense without explaining why and revealed that they will return on Friday, {today} with another attempt to submit the defense.
Recall that Magu had also approached the panel last Monday to submit his defense, but the attempt to submit the letter was turned down.
Recall also that Magu is being probed by the Presidential panel over recovered assets and monies seized from looters after being released from 10-days in detention.
After regaining his freedom, the former acting chairman of the EFCC had described the allegations against him as “nonsense” saying he was shocked when he read about them in the newspapers.
“They are nonsense. They are mere trump up allegations to tarnish my image and that of the EFCC. I did not steal or divert or convert funds to private use. I read the allegations and I was shocked,” he had said.
He, however, promised to cooperate with the panel.
Magu’s travails followed a memo by Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), who accused Magu of grave malfeasance.
He was alleged to have mishandled the recovered loot and sold seized assets to associates. He was also alleged to have refused to subject himself to the supervision of the Office of the Attorney-General.
Magu had also not taken the allegations lying down, he has fired back saying that some of the recovered vehicles were auctioned to the Presidential Villa, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, the Federal Inland Revenue Service and others.
