The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva. He was arrested at his No. 3, Niger Street, Maitama Abuja home on Wednesday.
A statement by EFCC acting head, media & publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said the commission’s operatives on arrival at Sylva’s house at about 10.00 am were told that the ex-governor was not in town but they insisted on conducting a search on the house having obtained a warrant from the court.
“During the search, vital documents were obtained. Ironically, the ex-governor who was said to be out of town was later found hiding in a dingy corner in the upper chamber of his expansive mansion,” the statement said.
He was immediately whisked away and is currently being interrogated at the Abuja headquarters of the anti-graft agency. He is being grilled in connection with fresh evidence linking him with a “bouquet of fraudulent transactions that borders on money laundering. Part of the new evidence includes a number of eye-popping real estate acquisitions in Abuja”.
The arrest of the former governor followed his refusal to honour invitations by the commission. EFCC said rather than appear before it, he got his lawyer to inform the commission that he was unable to appear because he was sick, and hospitalised in Lagos. The lawyer had promised to appear with his client on May 7, 2013 but failed to do so.
No comments:
Post a Comment