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| Soludo |
A former Governor of Central Bank of
Nigeria, Prof. Charles Soludo, was on Thursday arrested by the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission over his role in the Australian
polymer banknotes bribery scam which occurred between 2006 and 2008 when
he was in office.
The PUNCH was informed by sources
in the commission that Soludo arrived the EFCC Headquarters about 2pm
from his Abuja residence and immediately faced a team of operatives who
quizzed him for several hours to ascertain his level of complicity in
the scandal.
It was learnt that the decision to look
into the polymer deal was followed a petition by Human and
Environmental Development Agenda.
According to the chairman of HEDA, Mr.
Olanrewaju Suraju, the group’s petition had demanded the investigation
and possible prosecution of those involved in the alleged contract scam.
The petition had demanded that both the
EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences
Commission pursue the investigation and prosecution as provided by laws
establishing both anti-graft agencies.
Sources also indicated that other top
management staff of CBN, who had worked with Soludo, were also picked
and currently being held alongside other ex-staff of the Nigerian
Security Printing and Minting Company.
However, all efforts to get the
identities of other detained suspects proved abortive, as no one was
ready to volunteer information.
It was not clear whether the ex-CBN
governor would be remanded at the EFCC detention as he was still being
held as at 8pm on Thursday.
Spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson
Uwujaren, confirmed the arrest, but could not be categorical on whether
the embattled former 2010 Peoples Democratic Party governorship
candidate in Anambra State would be detained or not.
He said, “We have Soludo in our custody
and it is part of an ongoing investigation over his involvement in the
award of contract and printing of polymer banknotes when he was the
Governor of the CBN.”
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