EFCC
launches manhunt for Vaswani brothers
By OLA AGBAJE
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
|
•Photo:
Sun News Publishing |
| |
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched
manhunt for the controversial Indian businessmen, the Vaswani
brothers over alleged N4 billion fraud.
The multi-billion naira fraud was alleged to have been perpetrated
through forged documents on goods imported into the country.
Daily Sun gathered that the anti-graft commission had been
on trail of the Vaswani brothers for the past six weeks. “They
have remained evasive and continued to dodge all the efforts
to get them interrogated.”
As a result of their refusal to honour the commission’s
invitation, EFCC operatives sealed up their Lagos office,
the Honda place, last week.
Two offices of the notable Indian businessmen in Abuja and
Kano may also be sealed up to underscore the commission’s
intention to pursue the matter to a logical conclusion, it
was further gathered.
Spokesman for the EFCC, Femi Babafemi confirmed that the Lagos
office of Vaswani brothers had been shut.
He declined to give further details, saying investigations
by the EFCC officials were still going on.
The EFCC under Mallam Nuhu Ribadu had deported the Vaswani
brother5s over alleged roles in shady deals through which
the Federal Government lost several billions of naira.
Specifically, their activities were alleged to be injurious
and inimical to the economic well being of the nation.
They were accused of engaging and perfecting the act of using
fraudulent and illegal means to clear thousands of containers
through which the government suffered huge revenue losses.
Controversy had always trailed their business dealings in
Nigeria, which spanned automobile, consumables and merchandising.
Recently, an auto firm, Globe Motors sought the assistance
of the EFCC to recover billions naira from Vaswani brothers
over alleged fraudulent deal.
Already, the EFCC has stepped into the matter. However sources
close to the commission confided in Daily Sun that Vaswani
brothe4rs had been stalling the investigations because of
their failure to appear personally for interrogation.
|
