Counsel to the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu, Tosin Ojaomo has accused the Ayo Salami led Presidential Panel investigating allegations of corruption leveled against Magu of desperately ‘fishing for evidence’ to nail Magu, stressing that the effort will be futile.
Ojaomo told BusinessDay in a chat at the weekend that the panel was yet to formally issue a copy of the allegations of corruption made against Magu by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, which he said violated the fundamental right of fair hearing as Magu is being accused without given the opportunity to defend himself.
“The panel is a quasi judicial body, so, they must also ensure that they act in accordance with the rules of natural justice and fair hearing. But their refusal to show him a copy of the allegations against him is a clear denial of the constitutional provisions, which stipulate that if there is an allegation against you, you should be given the right to see the allegation for you to prepare your defense.
“Based on the way things are going with this panel, my feeling is that the panel is fishing for evidence to nail our client but they cannot get anything. Magu has not contravened any law; he has not erred in any way. He did everything he did based on approval from President Muhammadu Buhari. He did not take laws into his hands. So, what has happened is that our client has been tried, convicted and even sentenced in the court of public opinion without being heard,” he said.
He added that the public has a duty by constitutional provisions to know what is happening in the panel, but the public especially the media has been denied knowledge of the investigation of such a sensitive public institution like the EFCC.
“Magu has been suspended from office but the allegation which made them to suspend him has not been officially given to him. Witnesses are being called to the panel to give evidence but Magu has not been given opportunity being the head of such critical institution that is being investigated. Don’t forget that the activities that are being investigated are done when he was the chairman of the commission, so it s like subjecting him to investigation as a person.
“Bringing in sectional heads, heads of departments of the EFCC to come to the panel is not the way investigation should go, it has to be a collective defense because the alleged corruption was committed when they are all working there as a team,” he added.
He noted that if the legal team is not issued the allegations officially it would be forced to send a defense to the public to let them also know what is happening
