TheCable

Betta Edu, suspended minister of humanitarian affairs, says she has no link with the N30 billion purportedly recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

On January 8, President Bola Tinubu suspended Edu and directed the EFCC “to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transaction” involving her ministry.

The social investment programmes – N-Power programme, conditional cash transfer programme, government enterprise and empowerment programme, and homegrown school feeding programme — were put on hold after the suspension of the minister.

The EFCC has since been investigating the suspended minister and the ministry.

In an update contained in a bulletin titled “EFCC Alert,” the commission said it is also investigating 50 bank accounts, adding that the N30 billion recovered is in the coffers of the federal government.

“We have laws and regulations guiding our investigations. Nigerians will also know that they are already on suspension and this is based on the investigations we have done, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has proved to Nigerians that he is ready to fight corruption,” Ola Olukoyede, EFCC chairman, was quoted as saying in the bulletin.

“Moreover, with respect to this particular case, we have recovered over N30 billion, which is already in the coffers of the Federal Government.”

However, in a letter issued on Wednesday, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, lawyer to Edu, said: “Neither N30bn nor any amount whatsoever has been traced to or recovered from our client’s bank accounts nor has any proceed of crime been traced or recovered from her…”

The letter addressed to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) offices in Abuja and London, also threatened to take legal action against the media house if the publication on the matter was not taken down on its website.

“First and foremost, the language used in describing our client’s purported involvement in the alleged corruption case suggests guilt without allowing for the presumption of innocence, which is fundamental in any fair and unbiased reporting,” the letter reads.

“The reckless manner in which the article was crafted, without providing our client with the opportunity to respond to the allegations before its wide publication, is a clear breach of journalistic fairness and due process and demonstrates a complete disregard for journalistic integrity and professionalism. 

“This is a blatant attempt to tarnish our client’s reputation and undermine her credibility which she has earned over the course of her distinguished career in both private and public life.

“For the avoidance of doubt, our client has neither been indicted nor found culpable of any act of financial impropriety in relation to her stewardship of the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Ministry in Nigeria.”

The lawyer said the former minister has “suffered immeasurable reputational damage, psychological trauma and anguish as a direct consequence of the publication and dissemination of the article”.

The letter further demanded a retraction of the article and an apology within 48 hours.

Ojukwu said failure to comply with the demands, legal actions would be taken before the appropriate courts.

He said the actions would be “to obtain redress for the injurious falsehood peddled in your article and to seek punitive and exemplary damages in the sum of US$ 50 million against the BBC for the damage and injury suffered by our client”.