EFCC says not manipulated by vested interests

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it is not under the influence of any government official.

The commission’s reaffirmation of independence is following a report quoting sources in the agency on series of allegations against top government officials and also linked them to a certain Jarret Tenebe who is in EFCC custody for oil theft.

The EFCC, through its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, on Friday dissociated itself from the report.

“The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to a report entitled ‘Crude Oil Theft: PDP Governorship Candidate Jarret Tenebe Arrested, Implicates Jonathan’s former Chief of Staff, Anenih and Petroleum Minister’, which appeared on Saharareporters, an online news service, on Thursday, September 11, 2014,” Uwujaren wrote in a statement.

“The said report, quoting unnamed sources at the EFCC, made wide-ranging allegations linking top government officials, both former and serving, to the activities of a certain, Jarret Tenebe, a suspect who is under investigation for oil theft,” read an EFCC statement.

“The attributions ascribed to the unknown and unnamed EFCC source is shocking, as it runs contrary to the established media protocol at the commission. For the benefit of members of the public who may have been misled by the attributions, all information emanating from the EFCC to the media are authenticated by the designated official spokesperson, which is not the case with this report.”

The commission expressed distaste with the “obvious attempt” to tar the agency as a pliable institution that is susceptible to manipulation by vested interests, saying that claims that the commission ‘had been under intense pressure from several quarters to muddle up the case in order to spring the suspect free’ is an ingenious invention to impugn the integrity of the EFCC.

“It is important to state here that no serving or former petroleum resources minister or public figure has been linked to the investigation in question,” he added.

“Consequently, the Commission dissociates itself from the report in its entirety.”

The EFCC added that Tenebe, who is the managing director of Fenix Impex Limited, was still under investigation.

“In due course the commission will make its findings public,” it said.