PFIPC Scandal: Reps Discover 58 Accounts Linked to Detained DG, probe N400m deal

The House of Representatives committee investigating the activities of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, has identified about 58 bank accounts allegedly connected to the organisation’s detained Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, azqs lawmakers probe how the group gained access to government structures and budgetary processes.

The chairman of the ad hoc committee, Yusuf Gagdi, disclosed the findings on Wednesday in Abuja while presenting the panel’s preliminary report on the alleged council and its inclusion in the Federal Government’s budget framework.

According to the committee, more than 30 of the accounts appeared to be operated in the names of about nine companies, agencies, foundations and other entities linked to Adeyemi. The lawmakers said the discovery had raised questions about the ownership, management and actual purpose of the organisations.

The committee said information obtained from financial and investigative agencies showed that Adeyemi’s Bank Verification Number and other personal details were connected to a network of individual, corporate, organisational and foundation accounts.

Among the entities being examined are organisations carrying names associated with foreign investment promotion, United Nations youth groups, entrepreneurship and FCT investment promotion, as well as the Olubadan of Ibadan Foundation.

Gagdi, however, said the discovery of the accounts and related organisations did not by itself mean that all of them were involved in illegal activities. He said the committee was still comparing registration documents, account mandates, signatories, ownership records and transaction histories to determine who controlled the organisations and how they operated.

The lawmakers said several of the entities shared similarities in their names, objectives, management arrangements, signatories and banking relationships. The committee said these similarities had raised concerns that some organisations may have been created or used to give the purported council an appearance of legitimacy, attract money or gain public and official recognition.

A major part of the investigation concerns an alleged N400m transaction involving a company that claimed Adeyemi persuaded it to make payments in four instalments.

The company allegedly believed the money was required for a contract involving the renovation, furnishing or improvement of an official residence said to have been allocated to Adeyemi in his claimed position as PFIPC Director-General.

The committee said it was tracing the money to determine where the funds went, who owned the accounts that received them and whether any public official or private individual was involved in or benefited from the transaction.

The lawmakers said that if investigators establish the allegations with sufficient evidence, the matter could involve offences such as obtaining money through false representation, impersonation, forgery, conspiracy and the movement or concealment of proceeds of crime.

The investigation also raised a broader question about the legal existence of the PFIPC. The committee said it had not found an Act of the National Assembly, gazetted law, presidential executive order or other valid legal instrument establishing the purported council.

According to the preliminary findings, documents allegedly used to present the organisation as a government institution showed signs of possible fabrication, forgery, alteration and unauthorised use of the identities of Nigerian government institutions and officials.

One of the documents under investigation is a purported presidential appointment letter said to have appointed Adeyemi as Director-General. The committee said evidence obtained from the State House indicated that the letter was not issued or signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

The lawmakers also said the letterhead and reference number on the document did not correspond with official State House correspondence.

As a result, the committee cleared Gbajabiamila of involvement in establishing or authorising the purported council. It said available evidence showed that he contacted security and investigative agencies after receiving information about the organisation’s activities.

The committee also cleared the National Assembly committees responsible for budget scrutiny of wrongdoing in connection with the matter. Instead, the lawmakers are now examining how an organisation they believe had not been legally created managed to receive apparent recognition within parts of the government’s administrative and budget system.

The investigation has also exposed concerns about the process used to create government institutions and administrative codes, verify official letters, allocate government accommodation and issue official-looking vehicle number plates.

The purported council allegedly reinforced its claim of being a Federal Government institution by occupying space within the Federal Secretariat Complex and running a website that presented it as a government body.

The committee further found that photographs and names of President Bola Tinubu and other senior government officials were allegedly used by the organisation without authorisation.

About 39 people were also reportedly presented as workers of the purported agency. The committee is examining how they were recruited, their appointment documents, identity cards, payments and claims that some applicants were asked to pay money before securing employment.

Based on its preliminary findings, the committee recommended that government ministries, departments and agencies stop recognising or dealing with the PFIPC and any related organisation until their legal status is properly verified.

It also called for government systems to prevent any budget allocation, administrative code, financial release, warrant, cash backing or other government facility from being processed for an organisation whose legal existence has not been independently confirmed.

Financial institutions and relevant investigative bodies were urged to preserve records connected to the accounts, transactions, mandates and beneficial ownership information under investigation.

The committee also called for financial and criminal investigations into the matter to be concluded quickly. Where investigators establish enough admissible evidence, it recommended that appropriate authorities take the matter before a competent court.

It further recommended that any assets or money found to have resulted from unlawful activities should be traced, preserved and recovered in line with the law and any required court orders.

The lawmakers acknowledged the assistance provided by the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Office of the National Security Adviser during the investigation.

The committee also proposed stronger verification systems for the creation of government institutions, administrative structures and budget codes. It called for improved checks on documents said to have originated from the Presidency and other senior government offices.

Another proposal was the development or strengthening of a central digital system that would allow government agencies and members of the public to independently confirm the legal status and establishing instrument of any Federal Government institution.

Gagdi said the committee would continue investigating the ownership of the identified accounts, the alleged N400m transaction, the purported official residence, the use of special vehicle number plates, occupation of government property and the roles of individuals and officials connected with the case.

He added that the panel would obtain outstanding documents and information from government institutions and officials who had yet to fully respond to its requests. Persons affected by the investigation would also be given an opportunity to respond before the committee reaches its final conclusions.

The chairman stressed that the findings presented were still preliminary and should not be treated as a final declaration of criminal guilt, as such matters are ultimately determined by courts with the proper jurisdiction.

The committee is expected to submit its final report to the House of Representatives after lawmakers return from their two-month annual recess. The House will then decide whether to adopt, amend or reject the recommendations.

The investigation is therefore continuing as lawmakers seek to determine how the purported PFIPC operated, how it gained access to government facilities and processes, and whether individuals connected to it unlawfully obtained money or government recognition.