EXCLUSIVE: Magu’s case takes a new turn, as Buhari moves to investigate Ayo Salami

Justice Ayo Salami’s Committee report has suffered major setback as President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly sets up a new committee to investigate the chairman of the Committee, Justice Salami, for expunging critical findings in his report.

According to a highly placed source in the Presidency, the Committee report by Justice Salami purposely left out details of five properties recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and sold by its embattled suspended chairman, Ibrahim Magu, to the All Progressive Congress (APC) leader, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu and cronies.

According to report obtained by Century Post, President Buhari was furious when he found out that Magu, not only sold the properties to Tinubu, but that Tinubu paid only N200 million for them when they are worth more than N3billion.

The properties, which were seized from a businessman from Nnewi, is still part of an ongoing litigation and as such should not have been sold in the first place.

But reacting to the report, Magu’s media consultant, Mr. Tony Amokede, described it as “fake and a lie from the pit of hell.” He explained that the law establishing the EFCC does not permit it to sale any seized properties without a court order and the express approval of Mr. President.

Worried by the litany of allegations against Magu, President Buhari had set up the Justice Salami Committee to investigate the purported mismanagement and lack of transparency in managing recovered assets by the anti-graft commission.

The EFCC Chairman was also alleged to have diverted recovered assets for personal enrichment; neglected to investigate the P&ID case as directed by the President; flagrant disobedience to directives and to court orders.

Magu was further alleged to have engaged in the ‘re-looting’ of recovered loots’ and sale of seized assets to cronies, associates and friends.

Salami, a retired President of the Court of Appeal, was also mandated to investigate Magu’s alleged favouritism towards selected EFCC investigators called the ‘Magu Boys’ for ‘juicy’ assignments.

Other allegations against him included insubordination to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), alleged discrepancies in the reconciliation records of the EFCC and the Federal Ministry of Finance on recovered funds.

He was also accused of alleged leakages of investigative reports that were prejudicial to some cases to some selected media; reporting some judges to their presiding officers without deferring to the AGF; and declaration of N539billion as recovered funds instead of N504billion earlier claimed.

Salami was to also investigate the veracity of the allegation that Magu did not respecting court order to unfreeze a N7billion judgment in favour of a former Executive Director of a bank; late action on the investigation of P&ID leading to legal disputes; and not providing enough concrete evidence against some suspects including Diezani Alison-Madueke for her extradition.