EFCC grills Ebonyi commissioners for fraud

   The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested three commissioners (names withheld) in Ebonyi State for fraud-related offences.

   It was learnt that the operatives of the EFCC were quizzing the three government officials at the Tunde Idiagbon, Head Office of the commission at Wuse 11, Abuja.The three officials were being quizzed on allegations bordering on corruption and financial impropriety relating to the administration of local government funds in the state.Investigation revealed that operatives in charge of the case were pressing the suspects to disclose information on an Asphalt project approved for all the 13 local government areas of the state for which council funds running into millions of Naira were allegedly deducted at source.

   The exact amount of money involved in the asphalt project was not disclosed.It was learnt that the three commissioners were taken to Abuja for questioning on Tuesday morning.A personnel of the commission confided in our correspondent that one of the commissioners had directed that monies for the construction of the asphalt complex be deducted from the local government account at source.It was stated that six of the local government areas complied with the directive while seven refused, yet deductions were allegedly made from the accounts of each of the local government areas.It was further learnt that the EFCC was also probing the deduction of N1m each from the 13 local government areas for the production of T-shirts used for the centenary celebrations.It was alleged that the operatives of the commission were seeking the evidence of the production of the T-shirts as N13m local government funds had not been accounted for.

Via.punch