The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly arrested a former president of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, over allegations of theft and money laundering.
According to Premium Times, Saraki was detained on Saturday to answer questions over alleged theft and laundering of public funds using a network of cronies and proxy companies.
The suspected proxies, who executed purported contracts for Kwara State under Mr Saraki, allegedly made returns, for many years, to the former governor, forming an organised a network of dirty money flow.
The funds involved were huge, running into hundreds of millions in naira and hundreds of thousands in foreign currencies at various times, sources said.
Anti-graft investigators have obtained a list of the proxy companies involved and analysed a pattern of suspicious transactions between them and Mr Saraki.
One of them has been reportedly responsible for funding Saraki’s lifestyle, including paying over a hundred million to settle the bills for rent and renovation of Saraki’s Maitama residence, PREMIUM TIMES’ investigation showed, based on interviews with persons familiar with the property.
KanyiDaily recalls that Saraki had raised an alarm that the EFCC had filed a fresh process in court, seeking an interim order for the forfeiture of his home in Ilorin, Kwara State.