A
man, the State Security Service said, who was working for the interest of the
Nigerian government, was actually a money laundering suspect named in the
mismanagement of about $118 million in public funds, an investigation by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has shown.
In
its controversial report to the Senate last year, the SSS said Stanley Lawson,
a former Group Executive Director at the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation and an ally of ex-petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, was,
“in actual fact, working in the interest of the Federal Government.”
The
report was signed by Folashade Bello on behalf of the Director-General of the
SSS, Lawal Daura, and addressed to Senate President Bukola Saraki on October 3,
2016.
Its
details became public after senators said they relied on it to reject Ibrahim
Magu as chairman of the anti-graft EFCC.
Mr.
Daura said his investigation revealed that Mr. Lawson was “falsely accused by
Mr. Magu” for “personal reasons.”
The
claim was amongst several findings the SSS said it uncovered while
investigating Mr. Magu’s activities.
But
contrary to the claim by the SSS, not only was Mr. Lawson involved in the
controversial deal, he also returned his share of the loot to the EFCC.
A
highly placed source at the EFCC told GIS that Mr. Lawson’s name
popped up when the EFCC in 2015 commenced the investigation of the alleged $118
million public funds Mrs. Alison-Madueke was accused of looting for
electioneering purpose.
Anti-corruption
officials said Mr. Lawson made a payment of $25 million (N7.7 billion) into
Fidelity Bank and also facilitated the purchase of Le Méridien Ogeyi Place in
Port Harcourt for Mrs. Alison-Madueke, who is currently under EFCC
investigation for alleged involvement in large-scale corruption while in
office.
When
operatives traced the funds to him, he was arrested and subsequently made to
refund N94.5 million he received as commission for his role in the purchase of
the luxurious Port Harcourt hotel.
It
is not clear if Mr. Lawson knew the funds were looted when he agreed to the
deal, but EFCC investigators found he received exactly N94,516,000 from Mrs.
Alison-Madueke as service charge for facilitating the deal that led to the
takeover of the sprawling hotel.
A
source also found that Mr. Lawson was never placed on any watch list by the
EFCC after returning the N94.5 million.
This
contradicts the claim by the SSS that Mr. Magu placed him on security watch
list “in a bid to settle some personal scores.”
It
remains unclear how the SSS arrived at the conclusion that Mr. Lawson was
working for the Nigerian government in the controversial deal.
The
secret police did not explain what tasks the former NNPC handled for the Buhari
government in that transaction and why it became necessary to shield him from
investigation and even clear him of any wrongdoing.
The
SSS does not have a media contact who could have been asked to comment for this
story and provide clarifications. [sss_agents2]
Mr.
Lawson, who now serves as the managing partner at Financial Advisory and
Investment Consultants Limited in Abuja, could not be reached for comments
between Monday and Tuesday.
His
office assistant said he was not available and provided the email
contact of his associate, Don Lawson, for further contacts.
An
email sent to Don Lawson with specific details about our enquiries was not
returned more than a day after.
Wilson
Uwujaren, the EFCC spokesperson, did not also respond to calls and sms seeking
the agency’s official position on Mr. Lawson.
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