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The EFCC says some principal officers of the Assembly conspired among themselves to forge documents, steal and divert N700 million for their personal use.
The EFCC stated this in its counter-affidavit filed in opposition to the interlocutory application by the House of Assembly.
In January 2022, the Assembly had in a suit marked FHC/AB/CS/7/2022 dragged the EFCC before a Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta.
The Assembly asked the court to restrain the agency from “inviting and interrogating” its members over the alleged financial fraud in the state legislature.
In the suit, the applicants comprise six lawmakers and two civil servants with the EFCC and the impeached Deputy Speaker of the House, Oludare Kadiri joined as first and second respondents respectively.
The House believes Oludare, who was impeached last year, is behind the petition the EFCC is acting upon.
However, in the court documents seen by this reporter, the EFCC alleged that some principal officers of the state assembly including the Speaker of the House, Hon. Olakunle Taiwo Oluomo conspired among themselves to forge documents, steal and divert N700 million for their personal use.
The anti-graft agency also accused the lawmakers of forging documents and falsifying financial records in order to retire or divert public funds for their personal use.
The EFCC said its preliminary investigation on the alleged financial misappropriation in the Assembly showed some discrepancies in some of the documents it received from Deji Taiwo Adeyemo, the Clerk of the state House of Assembly.
According to the EFCC, among the documents are receipts purportedly issued by Obasanjo Holdings Limited, the managers of the NNPC Mega Station at Moshood Abiola Way, Abeokuta.
The NNPC Mega Station located within the sprawling Obasanjo Presidential Library complex- owned by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo– Ogun State capital is believed to be the biggest and most profitable petrol station in Abeokuta.
In a letter dated January 24, 2022, and titled ‘Investigation Activities and Authentication of Documents’, the EFCC had asked the management of the fuel station to confirm if the receipts it received from the clerk of the House were issued by the company.
