-THISDAY
Abuja — Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri, has said the commission will appeal the verdict of a Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday, which declared Federal Government’s action in the deportation of the Vaswani brothers (Sunil, Haresh and Mahesh) as illegal.
Waziri, while fielding questions from journalists in her office in Abuja, yesterday said the commission was not served any summons on the case before the court delivered the judgment.
Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court had held that the Federal Government neither observed the law nor followed due process in the deportation of the controversial businessmen.
The court also ordered the defendants not to confiscate or seal their business premises and assets in any manner whatsoever or harass and disrupt their operations in the country.
The judge also stopped the government by themselves, agents, servants, departments from enforcing or giving effect to the letters dated April 8, 2009 withdrawing the expatriate quota positions of the plaintiffs.
Waziri, who claimed that as a joint respondent in the case, her commission did not get a letter of invitation from the court or sent a counsel to represent EFCC, said the Vatswani brothers are frauds and should not to be allowed to stay in the country for any reason whatsoever.
She said: “I received with shock and disbelief the judgment. One thing I want to make crystal clear is the fact that EFCC was not served with the court’s invitation. While the court procedure lasted, we were not aware not to talk of being represented at the court. We will appeal the judgment and ask for a stay of execution and stay of judgment.
“The Vaswani brothers are fraudulent people and therefore should not be allowed to stay back in the country for any reason whatsoever. We will appeal the judgment.”
The commission also said it is withdrawing its operatives from banks affected by its debt recovery drive in Lagos.
The commission said there were reports that customers of the affected banks were scared by the presence of the operatives which had drastically affected banking operations.
Waziri, while receiving the Director-General of Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Otunba Segun Runsewe, in her office in Abuja yesterday said the operatives would leave the banks next Monday.
Waziri had last month, led about 100 operatives from the agency to Lagos in a bid to recover debts owed some banks in the second batch of the debt recovery exercise.
It was gathered that some of the affected banks had complained to the commission that the presence of the operatives was having a negative impact on their eporations as customers were deserting the banks.
She commended the efforts of the Runsewe-led NTDC in the country and called for joint collaboration in the fight against corruption.
She said: “We have always made it abundantly clear that the war against corruption and other forms of economic crimes is not what a few of us at EFCC or any other anti-graft agency can do alone. It is a battle for all Nigerians to get involved in. This is the basis for our mass mobilisation and awareness campaign initiative tagged, Anti-Corruption Revolution Campaign (ANCOR).
“Permit me to inform you that the EFCC has recently created a Transaction Clearing Platform (TCP) to tackle the menace of 419 letters emanating from Nigeria. The TCP will perform basis due diligence in respect of business proposals received by foreigners from Nigeria and confirm the authenticity of such proposals.
“The TCP will also host the authentic names and contact details of Nigerian institutions that scammers always impersonate and we will within the week formally request the NTDC to furnish us with its relevant details which will be hosted on the TCP.”
Meanwhile, the anti-graft agency has launched a fresh offensive against the Registrar of the National Examination Council (NECO), Prof. Promise Okpala, over an alleged N5 billion fraud in the examination body.
A source in the anti-graft agency said the agency on Tuesday swooped on the headquarters of NECO in Minna, Niger State and arrested its Director of Finance, Mr. Isaac Ishola, who was accused of colluding with Okpala to defraud NECO.
kenneth uwadi
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November 6, 2009 at 12:25 pm
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