The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission says it has uncovered two more fictitious government agencies as investigations continue into the alleged activities surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after presenting the commission’s interim investigation report to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Aliyu, investigators established that the PFIPC was never legally created by the Federal Government, as it was neither established through an Act of the National Assembly nor by an executive order.
He said the commission also found that the appointment letter allegedly used by the self-acclaimed Director-General of the PFIPC, Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, was forged.
“Our investigation established that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council has no legal foundation. The appointment documents presented by Adeyemi were forged,” Aliyu said.
The ICPC chairman explained that the commission discovered two additional fictitious agencies identified as the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency.
“These agencies were created using forged legislative instruments and were used to open bank accounts for illegal activities,” he stated.
Aliyu further alleged that the syndicate operated from offices previously occupied by the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council where it engaged in impersonation and other unlawful activities by taking advantage of gaps in government verification procedures.
He added that investigators found Adeyemi later changed the name of the organisation from the Foreign Investment Promotion Council to the Foreign Intervention Promotion Council in what the commission believes was an attempt to widen its scope to include revenue generation.
The ICPC chairman also maintained that no government funds were approved or released to the fake agency.
“The investigation found no funds were approved or disbursed for the fake PFIPC/PEAC, and there were no weaknesses in the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria systems,” he said.
Aliyu disclosed that the commission has recommended the prosecution of Adeyemi and disciplinary action against public officials alleged to have assisted the operation of the fake agency.
He said officials from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Budget Office of the Federation and the National Information Technology Development Agency were identified during the investigation as collaborators in the alleged scheme.
Despite the interim findings, Aliyu stressed that investigations are still ongoing.
“This is an interim report and investigations are continuing to uncover more evidence that will support criminal charges against Adeyemi and his collaborators,” he said.
He added that President Tinubu had been briefed on the commission’s findings and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability and institutional reforms aimed at preventing similar occurrences in the future.
