An investigative report packaged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an alleged money laundering case against former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, is now said to be in possession of the Federal Government.
Saturday Tribune can reliably reveal that the report was demanded by the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Bello Mohammed Adoke (SAN), days before his exit from office.
The commission, which is under the supervision of the AGF, reportedly complied with the directive.
A source privy to the investigation told the Tribune that the former AGF, in a letter to the anti-corruption commission, had said that he was demanding the case-file for onward transmission to the Code of Conduct Tribunal for prosecution.
The source disclosed that the former governor was indicted by the report and the anti-corruption commission was poised to initiate prosecution before the demand by the AGF.
Tribune was told that the AGF had explained that the findings of the EFCC on the allegations of money laundering would be more suitable for prosecution by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
The source noted that the only concern over the demand was that the Tribunal was yet to commence prosecution in the criminal charge brought against him by the Code of Conduct Bureau which indicted him for alleged operation of foreign accounts while in office as governor, contrary to the extant laws on assets declaration.
The concern was that the Tribunal which was yet to be properly constituted might find it difficult combining the two trials, while it could not be confirmed as of the time of going to the press if the AGF actually forwarded the case-file to the Tribunal as promised before his exit from office.
Code of Conduct Bureau chairman, Mr. Sam Saba, had told the Saturday Tribune that the criminal charge filed against Tinubu by the Bureau for allegedly operating 16 foreign accounts as governor between 1999 and 2007 had been pending due to the refusal of the government to appoint the remaining two members for the Tribunal for it to function constitutionally.
Meanwhile, it was gathered at the weekend that serious rumblings are on within the Tribunal over the pending appointment, which is being interpreted as President Goodluck's Jonathan way of shielding Tinubu from standing trial due to an alleged political understanding.
It took the Federal Government public uproar to appoint an acting chairman for the Tribunal, who has been reportedly dormant due to the non-appointment of other members needed to form a quorum on the panel that would try the cases forwarded to it by the Bureau.
Source; Tribune