A former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof.
Charles Soludo, was on Thursday arrested by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission over his role in the Australian polymer banknotes
bribery scam which occurred between 2006 and 2008 when he was in office.
The PUNCH was
informed by sources in the commission that Soludo arrived the EFCC
Headquarters about 2pm from his Abuja residence and immediately faced a
team of operatives who quizzed him for several hours to ascertain his level of
complicity in the scandal.
It was learnt that the decision to look into the polymer deal
was followed a petition by Human and Environmental Development
Agenda.
According to the chairman of HEDA, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, the
group’s petition had demanded the investigation and possible prosecution of
those involved in the alleged contract scam.
The petition had demanded that both the EFCC and the Independent
Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission pursue the
investigation and prosecution as provided by laws establishing both anti-graft
agencies.
Sources also indicated that other top management staff of CBN,
who had worked with Soludo, were also picked and currently being held alongside
other ex-staff of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company.
However, all efforts to get the identities of other
detained suspects proved abortive, as no one was ready to volunteer
information.
It was not clear whether the ex-CBN governor would be remanded
at the EFCC detention as he was still being held as at 8pm on Thursday.
Spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the
arrest, but could not be categorical on whether the embattled former 2010
Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Anambra State would be
detained or not.
He said, “We have Soludo in our custody and it is part of an
ongoing investigation over his involvement in the award of contract and
printing of polymer banknotes when he was the Governor of the CBN.”
Source: Punch
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