N23b bribe: EFCC clears 15 INEC officials

FIFTEEN of the 205 Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) officials suspended in connection with the alleged
N23billion poll bribe have been cleared.

About N3,046,829, 000 was traced to some of INEC officials
involved in the 2015 general elections.

INEC suspended 205 pending the final determination of their
cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

But following insufficient information, 70 other officials were
referred back to EFCC for investigation.

The 15 who did not benefit from the bribe were given a clean
bill of health.

EFCC has written the Chairman of the electoral commission, Prof.
Mahmoud Yakubu on the clean bill of health given to the 15.

“We can only use them as prosecution witnesses because there is
no case against them. They tried to avoid the dirty deals, an INEC
source said.

EFCC did not release their names because, according to the
source, it is the responsibility of INEC to do so. “What we have
succeeded in doing is to prove that our probe of the bribery scam
was not a witch-hunt at all,” he added.

Over 100 INEC officials are facing prosecution for benefiting
from the bribe.”

INEC had raised an expanded Appointment, Promotion and
Disciplinary Committee on the EFCC Interim Report on Bribery
Corruption and Money Laundering Charges during the 2015 General
Elections.

A National Commissioner, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, who released a
statement on behalf of INEC on the scandal, said: “Among other
things, the Committee found that:

“There was a clear attempt to bribe INEC staff to influence the
outcome of the 2015 general elections, using an NGO, the West
African Network of Election Observers (WANEO), made up mainly of
retired senior INEC officials.

“Out of over N23 billion, which the EFCC report said was used to
influence the elections, the Committee established that
N3,046,829,000 was received by INEC staff in 16 states.

“In reaching its decision on the findings of the Committee, the
Commission adhered strictly to the INEC Staff Conditions of
Service. The Commission therefore decided as follows:

The cases of one former National Commissioner, five former
Resident Electoral Commissioners (one of them deceased) have been
referred to the Presidency and EFCC for further necessary
action.

Based on their level of involvement, 205 serving INEC staff will
be immediately placed on Interdiction, which entails suspension
from duties and being placed on half salary, pending the final
determination of the cases they have with the EFCC.

Seventy staff about whom there was insufficient information
regarding their involvement will be referred back to EFCC for
further investigation and possible prosecution.

“The Commission hereby reiterates its commitment to defending
the integrity of the electoral process. Therefore, it will continue
to take stern action against its officials who compromise its core
values of integrity, transparency and impartiality in the conduct
of elections.”

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