The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied arresting immediate past Senate President, Bukola Saraki over allegations of fraud and money laundering.
EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren said Saraki was not arrested but simply honoured the invitation of the commission.
“It is true he was invited and he responded but there are no details at the moment”, Uwujaren added.
Saraki was said to have been arrested in Abuja on Saturday afternoon shortly attending a wedding ceremony of a daughter of one of his loyalists and Third Republic Kwara State Governor, Senator Shaba Lafiagi.
Sahara Reporters Saturday reported that the former Kwara State Governor Saraki was arrested after he was accused of using several proxy companies to launder money when he was governor.
An aide to the former Senate President, however, also denied the purported arrest of his principal.
“No truth in it”, the aide said when asked if the former senate president was arrested by the EFCC.
The EFCC had, in 2019, said it would probe Saraki’s earnings between 2003 and 2011 when he was governor of Kwara.
The commission was reported to have seized some of his houses in Ikoyi area of Lagos then.
But Saraki, on May 10, 2019, filed two separate suits marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/507/19 and FHC/ABJ/CS/508/19 respectively before Justice Taiwo Taiwo to challenge the action of the EFCC.
Justice Taiwo, who was the presiding judge, ruled on an ex parte application filed along with the substantive suits and ordered the anti-corruption agency and other five respondents to the suits to stay action on the probe pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by the applicant.
The court had directed the parties to maintain the status quo by suspending the probe.
But the EFCC later applied that the judge should recuse himself and the matter be transferred to another court.
Justice Taiwo sent back the case file to the chief judge and the matter was reassigned to Justice Anwuli Chikere for adjudication.
But when the matter came up on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, the anti-graft agency told the court that the action of the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has been hindering the agency from probing him.
The EFCC said Saraki continued to hide behind the order of the court anytime he is invited, urged the court to vacate the order.
Justice Chikere, noting that the court vacation was around the corner, adjourned the matter until October 7 for hearing.
Guardian
