Icheoku wants to formally congratulate Madam DIG Farida Waziri, retired, the new Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chair-lady on her new appointment and wish her success as she tries to clean the Augean stable of corruption unlimited called Nigeria! When you mention corruption anywhere in the world today, the first place that comes to mind is Nigeria! When you talk about crimes of fraud anywhere in the world the first thing that comes to mind is the notorious Nigeria 419 syndrome. Then add the governors, ministers and even the presidents whose money laundering notoriety has become a teaching topic for corruption in most many a university and police academies in the world then the situation appear comatose! What is Icheoku saying? That Madam EFCC has her job cut out for her and will need all the strength and prayers to make an impact!
Her opening statements and steps so far is encouraging but she must tread meticulously and deftly carry about her duties. Madam EFCC must not assume any air of a "super-human" superiority, the bane of her predecessor in office Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, whose good works were overshadowed by his petulant arrogance and protection of the master mind of corruption in Nigeria, himself, corruption personified, Olusegun Obasanjo! According to Madam EFCC, corruption is so endemic in Nigeria that the United States of America has posited that Nigeria will become a failed or a rogue state within some years if the endemic nature of corruption practices in the country were not tackled. According to available reports, the amount of graft in Nigeria is so high that development is impossible. We cannot continue like this in the midst of plenty where the basic amenities are not there for the masses. Mrs Farida Waziri lamented that governors hide under the cloak of immunity to evade the watchful eyes of anti-graft bodies but vowed that the EFCC under her leadership, will not wait for the expiration of their tenure before taking action as investigations into their activities are already on and will be updated continually till they leave office and answer for their crime. Speaking further Waziri said the gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider, adding that while the masses don’t even have access to basic amenities of life such as pipe-borne water, electricity, hospital etc their political leaders are swimming in stupendous wealth. "It is a well-known fact that a country is not known for its greatness by the amassing of wealth but how the country treats her poor". To this Icheoku will like to add that any governor with a credible culpability should be made to resign and face the charges immediately; there is no need to wait for their penultimate end of tenure before prosecution. If only the Senate and House of Representatives have the will to fight corruption in Nigeria, they can use the instrumentality of law-making to checkmate corruption but albeit one of them Alhaji Nuhu Aliyu made it known to the world that they are populated by criminals - 419 practitioners. So it becomes almost impossible for the legislators to legislate themselves out of business.
Madam EFCC please consider pursuing these measures with necessary authorities in your quest to eradicate corruption in Nigeria. See if they can make certain grave financial crimes a High crime and/or misdemeanour with severe penalty including the death sentence, just as a deterrent (China has such laws). Such a public servant/politician/military should also be banned for life from holding any position of trust including any political office and have all the proceeds of corruption confiscated. Seek the western countries support and cooperation if you are seriously geared to fight corruption in Nigeria - that is where they bank their loot and launder some with property acquisitions. Solicited their help to discourage these criminals from banking their proceeds in these countries such that they have to explain the source of any deposit exceeding $9999.99dollars USD anything they bring such money overseas. Such explanation will be cross-checked with your agency back in Nigeria. Sign pacts with FBI, M15 and Israeli MOSSAD (their financial crimes branch) to assist Nigeria combat financial criminality world-wide. Also start a whistle blower prize for any public official whose information leads to a successful prosecution of a financial criminal. Finally, get rid of corrupt officials in the EFCC - periodically demand they declare their assets and pay random visit to their homes and make them explain disproportionate assets found in their possession including cars, houses, homes and fat bank accounts.
You also said that you are aware that each time monies are released to the states and the local government to do certain things in those areas, these monies are shared. According to you, plans are already in place to put up preventive measures to checkmate these excesses. You are going to be very proactive monitoring money earmarked for certain projects in those areas and cross check physically with what is on ground and take up those we know are in position to steal these monies. Those who sign vouchers, who sign cheques, those who counter-sign and when we get them, they will tell us where the monies are. "The governors at the moments have immunities but they don’t have immunity of investigation. We will go ahead to investigate them, compile their case file, up date them from time to time and wait till they are available. These are what we are going to do" she said. Sounds very lofty indeed and hopefully your courage will see you through.
"What we have today is not encouraging because cases drag so much in the court. We have some lawyers who are not following the ethics. When they know that their clients have very bad cases, they play for time. They first challenge the jurisdiction of the court and this takes ages and you know the case can last up to one year in high court. "They can appeal which may last another one year. It may also last another one year in the Supreme Court so a case takes ages to be completed, meanwhile, the culprit is on bail and is enjoying his loot and other Nigerians are watching and this is not helping matters. To this Icheoku will like to add that a Special Adhoc Tribunal should be established to try corruption cases expeditiously. Such a tribunal will have specific instruction and timetable to dispose all corrupt cases before them and within an allotted time. No technicalities, once evidence exists to the culpability then they will jump in and out of the matter immediately. No rigorous trial procedures will be allowed or encouraged; just proof of evidence. You own such and such, how did you acquire them? If they are not yours who owns them and what is the source of the purchase money? if there is no satisfactory explanation, then their confiscation by the State. If the property is real estate or vehicles or machinery or other tangible accouterments then auction them to the State government owners of the looted revenue and they in turn can dispose of it as they may deem fit. if it is cash, then use the cash for a state's road project or any other project that would have ordinarily absorbed the earmarked money which was embezzled. A "Forfeiture of Crime Proceed Act' may be the anecdote to this criminal behavior and the National legislature should be encouraged to pass such bill for the president's signature.
Continuing, Madam EFCC, said "we will expose those who come in to public office poor and go out very rich. They go back home to demolish their little shanties and build a paradise in the villages, with high walls, and bore holes and all such thing that make modern life livable". That is a lofty idea provided it is not bogged down with implementation; as what Nigerians want in real term, is nothing but justice, fairness and end to corruption. So Madam EFCC provided you will be fair in your decisions as to who gets investigated and/or prosecuted; you must be seen to be the opposite of your predecessor in office, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who shielded his boss Olusegun Obasanjo. if you can pull off this, then Icheoku will supports your effort as laudable. Icheoku hopes this includes military and para-military personnel as some of these retired military men, customs, police and navy are known to be stupendously very rich.
Now that you have your assignment cut out for you as you eloquently identified them, Icheoku wishes you all the best and hopefully Aaandokaa and cohorts will allow you to achieve your set out laudable goals. In any event that they do not let you operate, please shout out to Nigerians so that they can rally round you; but do not ever die in silence. Once again congratulations on your appointment as the new helms' woman at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission!
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Christy 'Apena' Essien-Igbokwe , the wife of Jegede Shokoya of the New Masquerade and Nigeria's lady of songs is dead; she was 51years old. Although her family claimed that "brief Illness" killed her like so many Nigerians; Icheoku retorts that it was most likely AKwa Ibom voodoo and remote control that was used to arrest her. It is on record that she had fallen out with the governor of her native Akwa Ibiom State and have been having a relentless war for political turf with the governor? So who knows whether she was sacrificed to Ekpe cult or even Alusi-Okija as an offal; afterall African science is still very much alive and portent. May her soul rest in peace.
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Waziri wants psychiatric tests for public officers
ReplyDeleteAccuses UK, others of aiding graftFrom Florence Oretade, Abuja
CHAIRMAN of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has canvassed through psychiatric tests for all aspiring public office holders.
According to her, most of the negative character traits exhibited by public officers in the country, especially massive looting of the treasury, are symptoms of mental illness.
Waziri also accused Western nations, especially the United Kingdom (UK) of aiding graft in Africa by making it easy for stolen funds to be lodged in their banks.
She spoke during a visit by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), to the commission in Abuja to seek its collaboration in fighting corruption.
She said: "I told the Met (Metropolitan) Police out there that 'you are creating the avenues for our monies to be taken here. Take a resolution to the United Nations that anybody coming out of Africa to fix money in your banks, they should be cross checked from the home country, otherwise you don't open the account.'"
If conditions are provided in opening accounts with the banks in these places, it would have gone a long way at curbing the act of corruption by African leaders, she said, adding:
"But the situation is that there are so many off-shore accounts and sometimes, when the account holders die, the money go to the countries unknown to many. These are the areas we are working on."
Waziri declared that her vision was to eradicate corruption, economic crimes and other crimes in the country and remove Nigeria from the most corrupt countries of the world to the best, non- corrupt country.
Besides, she proposed that a mental medical screening be included before granting appointment to public office holders to enable the country ascertain their mental health. According to her, massive stealing by public officers are symptoms of mental illness.
According to her, if an appointment were to be done, maybe, besides the security report, there was a need for mental medical report of people because of the primitive accumulation of wealth that some individuals engage in.
"You know, if you are stealing what you need, it is a different thing but if you are grabbing left right and centre through out, then your character should be called to question."
This, she said, is necessary to help many Nigerians who cannot even raise a voice against some of these practices. "They can not feed three square meal while those who occupy public offices through elections, return to their villages, demolish their shanties and replace them with paradise with no regard for their neighbours who can not feed. This is merciless," she added.
She disclosed that the Commission will soon launch its anti-corruption revolution policy, a first of its kinds where most Nigerians will come to work with the EFCC.
On the reason for his visit, Agbakoba said that the present EFCC law was too narrow to accommodate the heavy work it is doing to fight corruption.
He stressed that the ongoing probe at the National Assembly had to be dealt with care to avoid ridiculing the government itself.
He said while the probes are necessary, the media should endeavour not to raise a frenzy out of it like in the case of the transport minister because in my opinion she had done nothing wrong.
His words: "I will urge the media not take a frenzy out of this like in the case of Minister of Transport, Deziane Madueke. I did not see anything wrong in what she did because if am a Minister I must disburse funds. But if at anytime I disburse funds and it becomes an object of probe you wont get anybody again working for the government.
"So it is important to understand, if there are genuine probes those probes, needs to be dealt with, but to now make every money the government spends a matter for probe ridicules the government.
"Right now there is no government. Everybody at the National Assembly from NNPC to mint, name it all and is also affecting government work. The probes are necessary as the oversight function of the National Assembly, but they must be done very carefully and for a very good reason. Otherwise, it will become a joke, I will ask a question: " what has happened to the first probe on Petroleum Technology development Fund."
He proposed to Waziri a Crime Act that will be a wider law and provide enough latitude to catch the perpetrators of corruption, unlike the present one that is a bit narrower and specific.
On the assessment the Nigerian Bar Association is conducting on EFCC operation, he said he was happy that things are turning out bright because the commission is institutionalizing itself.
"The EFCC works, I see in three phases, the investigation, prosecution and recovery. The collaboration will enhance speedy trials and prosecution.
The quality of lawyers, method of prosecution by the commission needs to be upgraded and the charge sheet also has to be reduced to avoid complexity in the cases to achieve positive result, he advised.
He said: "I have always wondered why EFCC will charge a person with 300 count and come with five volumes of evidence whereas if you charge him on two count and ten pages of charge sheet you can win. Clever lawyers are entitled to do their job to make this more complex getting conviction and injunctions keep coming. But if you have a two count charge and put the man in prison for 20 years, it is enough deterrent. So those are the areas I hope EFCC will change-making the charges less, evidence less. Then you get your conviction quicker."
Also speaking in Ibadan, at the 4th Justice Muri Okunola Memorial lecture organised by the National Association of Muslim Law students, Lagos Governor, Babatunde Fashola, tasked African leaders to shun corruption by offering accountable leadership. He also admonishes citizens to also ask their leaders to give account of their stewardship.
Fashola, who was represented on the occasion by his Special Adviser on Religious Matters, Mr. Hakeem Kosoko said, "The general principle of leadership is to uphold justice while leaders should see themselves as servants and reform the citizens morally, politically, intellectually and economically."
Corruption: Waziri confirms US view on Nigeria
ReplyDeleteErasmus Alaneme, Abuja
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday confirmed the fears expressed by the United States (US) that Nigeria will become a failed state within some years if the endemic nature of corruption practices in the country were not tackled.
Chairman of the EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri who raised this fear while receiving the chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbokoba, in her office accused states and local governments of merely sharing allocations released to them.
Waziri lamented that governors hide under the cloak of immunity to evade the watchful eyes of anti-graft bodies but vowed that the EFCC under her leadership, will not wait for the expiration of their tenure before taking action as investigations into their activities are already on and will be updated continually till they leave office and answer for their crime.
The EFCC boss, who said that the NBA was aware of the problem of corruption in the country, lamented that it has eaten into the fabrics of the society, pointing out that if care is not taken, Nigeria as a country may soon be history as corruption will destroy her.
"… as you are aware corruption is endemic. It has eaten deep into the fabrics of the society and if care is not taken, this country would be one of the failed or rogue states in no distant future. We cannot continue like this in the midst of plenty where the basic amenities are not there for the masses" she said.
Speaking further Waziri said the gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider, adding that while the masses don’t even have access to basic amenities of life such as pipe-borne water, electricity, hospital etc. "It is a well-known fact that a country is not known for its greatness by the amassing of wealth but how the country treats her poor," she said.
The EFCC boss took a swipe at political leadership in the country telling the NBA visitor that she was in the know that governors and local government chairmen receive monthly allocation and share it without doing anything with the money.
She said, the governors hide under the immunity clause to perpetrate corruption but that will not stop the work of the EFCC as the commission will carry out investigations on the serving governors and prepare a dossier on them which will be used to prosecute them after their tenure.
"I am aware that each time monies are released to the states, and the third tier of government which is the local government to do certain things in those areas, these monies are shared.
"We have planned to put up preventive measures; we are going to be very
proactive, to move to these areas with what we have, to monitor money earmarked for certain projects in those areas and cross check physically what is on ground and take up those we know are in position to steal these monies. Those who sign vouchers, who sign cheques, those who counter-sign and when we get them, they will tell us where the monies are.
"The governors at the moments have immunities but they don’t have immunity of investigation. We will go ahead to investigate them, compile their case file, up date them from time to time and wait till they are available. These are what we are going to do" she said.
On the lingering of cases against some accused persons, Waziri said the EFCC already has started to reposition the legal and prosecution departments because a successful prosecution of any case is the only result Nigerians want.
"The end result is the successful prosecution of the case. You cannot investigate a case and at the end of the day, the case file is gathering dust and you say you are fighting corruption. The case has to go to court and with diligent prosecution, at the end of the day, the man is punished for violating the laws of the land and others who are of like minds are deterred.
"What we have today is not encouraging because cases drag so much in the court. We have some lawyers who are not following the ethics. When they know that their clients have very bad cases, they play for time. They first challenge the jurisdiction of the court and this takes ages and you know the case can last up to one year in high court.
"They can appeal which may last another one year. It may also last another one year in the Supreme Court .So a case takes ages to be completed, meanwhile, the culprit is on bail and is enjoying his loot and other Nigerians are watching and this is not helping matters.
"They say great minds think alike, since I came I have been talking about this Forfeiture of Crime Proceed Acts. The United States operates that system and I think the United Kingdom (UK) has borrowed the same and I am looking forward desperately to do something in that line and I feel that is the only way out for us eventually"
Waziri reiterated that her vision is to eradicate economic crimes corruption in the country and remove Nigeria from the list of the most corrupt countries to the less corrupt countries, adding that this is achievable because of the feelings of Nigerians to the problem of corruption.
On the most likely tactics the EFCC will use, Waziri said, "We will expose those who come in to public office poor and go out very rich. They go back home to demolish their little shanties and build a paradise in the villages, build high walls, and bore holes and all these. However, when you look down the road, you see his neighbour’s children with jerry cans and buckets looking for drinking water. We are going to look into this and it has to stop because this is a great country. Nigeria is a very rich country, we have all the material, and human resources and we should not be where we are if not for corruption"
On his own part, Olisa Agbakoba said he entirely agree with the EFCC on the seriousness of corruption problem and that the anti-graft war was so vital and in fact the most vital war because all the development scholars have said that the amount of graft in Nigeria is so high that development is impossible.
Agbakoba said it was important the EFCC gets all the support it needs in the anti-corruption war, noting that "We have also come to offer our own humble suggestion as to how the war on corruption can be strengthened. I think the starting point in any attempt to facilitate the work of EFCC is to help Madam chair do some sort of an appraisal"
He said that the EFCC must ensure that desperation on the part of Nigerians do not push it to do things outside the legal provisions, adding that what Nigerians want in real term is nothing but justice, fairness and end to corruption.
"I think that EFCC are into three key function, investigation, prosecution and assets recovery. In England, there are three institutions doing these but since the EFCC is doing all these, there may be need to strengthen the capacity to be able to investigate, prosecute and recover assets. Because at the end of the day, what Nigerians will be interested in is that EFCC have recovered so many billions and that those billions are being put to use. Because I am from Onitsha and I want to see my road smooth from Lagos and money recovered from corrupt Nigerians goes into repairs of roads," Agbokoba said.
Corruption: EFCC seeks partnership with media
ReplyDeleteBy Oscarline Onwuemenyi, Abuja
Published: Monday, 21 Jul 2008
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri, has called for an enduring collaboration between the anti-graft agency and the Nigeria Union of Journalists in the fight against corruption.
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Mrs Farida Waziri
In a statement by the commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Babafemi, and made available to our correspondent in Abuja, Waziri said the media was central to the fight against corruption, adding that that those who argued that the pen was mightier than the sword were ‘absolutely right.’
While underscoring the need for collaboration with the commission, she urged the media to always resist being used by people with evil agenda, saying that the media should instead engage in constructive criticism that would build the nation.
Waziri reportedly made the call when she received some members of the national executive of the NUJ led by its National President, Mr. Ndagene Agwu, who paid her a courtesy visit in her office in Abuja on Friday.
Other members of the delegation included the National Secretary, Leman Shaibu, and National Vice-President, Zone C of the union, Ambrose Nwachukwu.
She charged Nigerian journalists to always embark on investigative journalism as that was the only method that could expose atrocities in both high and low places.
According to her, EFCC was more than ready to partner with the media, adding that the fight against corruption was that of all Nigerians.
“The fight against corruption in this country can never succeed without the media. I have often said that I wanted to take the fight to the Nigerian people and how could I do that without the media?” she asked.
Waziri emphasised that the fight against corruption should be a collective fight as corruption had hindered the country’s growth.
According to her, Nigeria has no business being poor but for the corrupt ones “who have looted the nation’s wealth.”
She said she would need the media when the commission begian its sensitisation campaign to re-orientate Nigerians on values.
“What we used to frown at, today we clap for. We give those who looted our money chieftaincy titles, we have to rethink because of this country,” she said.
EFCC: No more handcuffs for suspects
ReplyDeleteDANIEL IDONOR, Abuja and PATIENCE AKPURU, Lagos
CHAIRMAN of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs Farida Ajuji Waziri, yesterday unfolded part of her agenda for the commission, declaring that hence-forth suspects will no longer be handcuffed.
Addressing newsmen after a meeting with President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja Mrs Waziri, stated that, rather than handcuff or leg chain suspects, the commission while ensuring the law takes a full course on such people, would treat such suspects with respect.
Her explanation came on the day the commission announced that it has strengthen its prosecution team with the enlistment of four Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs).
The EFCC boss who briefed President Yar’Adua on the state of the anti-graft agency, told State House Correspondents after the meeting that she was building a new EFCC that would be more proactive and the prevention of corruption.
Asked why her appointment has not made any impact in terms of arrest of prominent Nigerians suspected to be corrupt, Mrs. Waziri berated Nigerians who believed that much has not happened under her; dismissing such people as "less educated".
"My impact is felt. You see the problem is some of you want a situation where you see people in handcuffs and leg chains in court but I am not operating like that. I have to do a meticulous job and be certain that I have a prima facie case before I take anyone to court. Majority of Nigerians especially the less educated ones want to see every day on the television where big men are taken in leg chains and handcuffs.
"But I am being proactive, I am doing the preventive and I am setting strategies in place so that I will prevent this. Even the poverty stricken ones, even if I take these people, it won’t reduce or add a difference to your lives. If I prevent the looting, I think it will be better. Some of the president’s seven-point agenda is wealth creation and if we allow people to take money outside the country, then you begin to chase after that money and those other countries have their rules and they may not want to cooperate, the harm has been done. Prevention is better than cure," She explained.
She disclosed that she would not adopt the brutal policy of her predecessor, Mr Nuhu Ribadu, who went about chasing suspects who have not been found guilty yet, arresting them in handcuffs; stressing that such a policy can only come from "a less educated Nigerian".
According to her, "less educated Nigerians" who are thinking that she would deploy personnel of the Commission into the streets of major cities in Nigeria to chase and arrest accused persons to have a rethink as she will not handcuff suspected criminals and take them to court.
She pointed out that probing her predecessor, Mr Ribadu was not part of her priority; stressing that "I am not probing anyone. I am there to do some job and I am trying to set up the foundation to work the way I want and I am not there to probe Ribadu." She dismissed speculations that she was out to dismantle some of the human structures put in place by her predecessor; asking "what structure? Can you name one structure that I have dismantled? Name just one?"
She denied insinuations that high level corruption such as 419 is now creeping back into the system, and challenged journalists to "name one case of 419 creeping back into the system? If you talk about fix Nigeria, I changed the name to strategy and reorientation because I don’t understand what fix Nigeria is. In America, if you say I will fix you it means I am going to deal with you, so when you say fix Nigeria it has no meaning to me. I had to change the name".
On why she recommended psychiatric test for accused person Mrs Waziri said "I said that there is something called kleptomania. If you are stealing what you don’t need, somebody goes to America, buys a house in New York, DC, London a house, South Africa a house, and Dubai a house, I mean something is wrong. You can only sleep in one house at a time. You don’t know what you are buying is a lawsuit for your family when you die they will fight over it."
She further disclosed that the president has never and will never interfer with the work of the commission saying that "No oh! How can he interfere? He said I should work within the rule of law, strito censo and I believe in my president. He is not the type to speak from both sides of the mouth and he means what he said. There is no obstacle."
According to her, she was ready to step on toes no matter those involved; noting "Of course there are lots of those, short, big, small; round I will step on them"; stressing that her only task was to eradicate corruption in Nigeria .
Meanwhile, EFCC in a statement signed by its spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi announced that four additional SANs have been engaged to strengthen its legal team.
"The Senior Advocates will join our present team of external and internal solicitors to strengthen our prosecution team," the statement said.
Continuing, it explained that "the bid to enlist the services of the Senior Advocates is also tandem with Mrs Waziri’s belief that the end result in criminal prosecution is conviction, and as such no effort should be spared in the diligent prosecution of the commission’s cases in the interest of justice and for the overall benefit of Nigeria."
The commission said, the move was part of an on-going efforts by the chairman of the commission to inject vigour into the activities of the EFCC especially in the area of intelligence gathering, investigation and prosecution.
The statement further urged Nigerians to complement the effort of the anti-graft agency in its renewed bid to rid the nation of all forms of economic and financial crimes by exposing all corrupt tendencies around them.
EFCC Reopens Probe Into Siemens 10m Euros Bribe
ReplyDelete*Set To Prosecute Those Involved In Scandal
By Sam Akpe, Deputy Editor, Abuja
Ranking Nigerians mentioned in the Siemens 10 million Euro bribe scandal which rocked the nation, last year, will soon face interrogation and possible prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Sunday Independent confirmed on Friday that the anti-graft commission has re-opened investigations into the issue and would soon invite all those involved to answer questions.
Last December, the EFCC, under its pioneer chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, took over the case from the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), but nothing was heard of the matter afterwards.
There were speculations later that President Umaru Yar'Adua was bent on protecting some powerful people named in the scandal and had directed that the case be transferred to those who would do what he wants.
Various top ranking Nigerians, including former ministers of communications and notable politicians were alleged to have demanded and collected huge sums from the company before facilitating award of contracts.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to unravel the bribe scandal.
All the payments were allegedly made in euros. Most of those mentioned in the scam were rankled by newspaper reports and had proceeded to deny involvement.
Until now, they must have thought the matter had been swept under the carpet.
The President had on Tuesday, December 27, 2007, through his former chief of staff, Mohammed Abdullahi, demanded that the case file hitherto controlled by the ICPC be handed over to the then chairman of EFCC.
Thereafter, EFCC was said to have only questioned Cornelius Adebayo, a former Communications Minister and ex-governor who was among those mentioned in the scandal.
Although details of Adebayo's statement were not made available to Sunday Independent, sources said "the case was ordered closed by the former EFCC boss after that interview while others also mentioned were left unattended to."
Among those alleged to have been bribed but who have denied the allegations are Senator Jubril Aminu; Tajudeen Olanrewaju, David Oyegun, a former permanent secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Ahmed Datti, formerly of Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (NITEL).
But sources said on Friday that the new leadership of the EFCC is ready to execute the investigation to conclusion and that those found to have been involved would be prosecuted immediately.
EFCC head of media and publicity, EFCC, Femi Babafemi, confirmed that the case has been re-opened and that since the contract dates back a long time, there were a lot of documents to examine.
Babafemi noted that the culture of documentation in Nigeria is relatively poor and for that reason, some of the documents on the case were not readily available.
He said, "some of the documents have actually disappeared" since the investigation commenced last year and was later suspended.
The EFCC spokesman said because the scandal and the contracts involved had international links operatives of the EFCC would travel to Germany to also look at files at that end.
Gratification by Siemens AG was said to have been given between 2002 and 2003 when most of those mentioned left offices either as ministers or bureaucrats.
Siemens was last year quoted as admitting in a court in Germany that it actually bribed Nigerian officials in spite of great efforts at denial by those mentioned in the scam.
Thereafter, the Federal Government, at a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, revoked a huge contract hitherto awarded to Siemens.
Government also barred the company from getting any fresh contracts in Nigeria until the bribe scandal is resolved.
Siemens International had in November 2007 made effort to meet with Yar'Adua to explain its situation to him and seek forgiveness to continue business in Nigeria. The firm had written a letter to the president on November 21, 2007 through one Rudi Lamprecht, a member of the Siemens Management Board.
Siemens which has been operating in Nigeria since the 1950s, had its last contract before 1999- the 250,000 fixed lines Lagos job awarded by NITEL before it was privatised.