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More troubles await the embattled ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has perfected plans to file fresh charges against him on Monday.
Besides, reporters authoritatively gathered that the anti-graft agency is in the final stage of a discreet investigation into allegations that the former Speaker laundered $1bn through domiciliary accounts and diverted funds into his personal account from the budgetary allocations to the House.
Bankole is presently in the EFCC custody after Justice Donatus Okorowo of a Federal High Court in Abuja last Friday ordered that he be remanded until Monday when ruling on his bail application would be delivered.
The judge gave the order after listening to the pro and against arguments on the bail application by Bankole's lawyer, Mr. Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), and the prosecution counsel representing the EFCC, Mr. Festus Keyamo.
The EFCC pressed a 16-count charge bearing on contract inflation amounting to N894m against Bankole.
The bail application notwithstanding, the anti-graft commission has gone ahead to prepare new charges bordering on alleged misappropriation of government funds.
Reporters learnt on Saturday that the 16-count charge against Bankole at the High court was a child's play compared to what is going to happen in the coming days.
A reliable EFCC source who refused to mention the number of fresh charges, insisted that the charges would come this week, even as she described the defence put up by Bankole's lawyers as "panicky and funny."
She said, "His lawyers are saying N10b loan was used by the former House to increase the quarterly allocations of its non-principal officers from N28m to N42m. That is false. Their quarterly allocation was increased in March 2010 and last year's budget took care of that increase.
"How come they needed to obtain the N10b loan if the increase in their allowance was already taken care of? Was that necessary? Two days before obtaining the N10bn loan, we discovered that another N15.38bn was obtained. So we are talking about N25.38bn and not N10bn."
Punch further gathered that investigations into Bankole's alleged laundering of $1bn are in the final stage.
Source: The Punch