EFCC grills APC chieftain for allegedly bribing a judge

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, quizzed the National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Muiz Banire, in its Lagos Zonal Office over alleged payment of N500,000 into the account of a judge.

The unnamed judge, according to the EFCC, presides over the National Industrial Court in Lagos.

However, the commission did not reveal the date and time of the alleged payment by Banire.

It was learnt that Banire, a  lawyer, was summoned  to the Lagos office of the EFCC on Thursday.

He was said to have obliged by turning up for questioning after which he  asked to return yesterday.

It was learnt that the commission was contemplating keeping him beyond yesterday as he was still being interrogated as of the time of filing this report.

However, the questioning of Banire came as a high point in the activities of the commission which had been accused of only beaming searchlight on members of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP.

Whether it would put to rest, allegations of selective investigation against the Federal Government is largely in doubt given increasing calls for the probing of APC members, who were members of the PDP in the last dispensation.

On the heels of Banire’s grilling, was the granting of bail to a former Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro yesterday by the agency after refunding the sum of N100 million out of the sum of N4.7 billion he was alleged to have embezzled.

The former minister, who had been in EFCC custody for three weeks was accused of paying over N3.88 billion out of the N4.7 billion traced to companies linked to him to Ekiti State governor, Mr.  Ayodele Fayose and former Osun Sate Deputy governor, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

In addition, Saturday Vanguard learnt that Omisore refunded N50 million to the commission yesterday.

An EFCC official, who pleaded anonymity told an eye witness that Omisore had earlier refunded the sum of N300 million before making the latest payment.

The official said: “It is true that Omisore dropped N50 million with us today in addition to the N300 he had earlier paid.”
source  (Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor) vanguard