A former Acting Accountant General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku, has refunded N220 million and a duplex linked to him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following the Commission’s investigation into advanced fee fraud involving the former public official.
This was disclosed in the EFCC’s ex parte “non-conviction” originating motion marked FHC/ABJ/177/2024, slated for mention before Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday.
According to the motion filed by EFCC lawyer E. Iheanacho SAN, the Commission sought an interim order against several monies in bank accounts linked to the ex-AGF, including:
“An order of this Honourable Court directing the publication in any national newspaper of the interim order under relief 1 above for person(s) in whose possession the property and funds sought to be forfeited are found, or anyone interested in the property and funds sought to be forfeited, to appear before this Honourable Court to show cause within 14 days why the final order of forfeiture of the properties mentioned in relief 1 herein should not be made in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria,” the EFCC also prayed in its motion.
“The Respondent utilized the sum of N64,000,000.00 (Sixty-Four Million Naira) only to purchase a five-bedroom (standalone) duplex at Number 20, City Gate Estate, Kukwaba, Abuja,” the Commission added.
“The Respondent refunded the sum of N220,000,000.00 (Two Hundred and Twenty Million Naira) into the Applicant’s Recovery Account 0020089341028 on 9th February 2022 and also voluntarily relinquished the property named Number 20, City Gate Estate, Kukwaba, Abuja to the Applicant alongside the house keys,” the Commission stated.
Naijaonpoint also reports that the EFCC is separately prosecuting Nwabuoku on a nine-count amended criminal charge before Justice James Omotosho of the same court, bordering on money laundering to the tune of N868,465,000.
The development was pending the outcome of the EFCC investigation of the suspended AGF, Ahmed Idris.
The EFCC later arraigned Nwabuoku for fraud.