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Two Chinese nationals identified as Mr. Meng Wei Kun and Mr. Xu Koi have been arrested for offering N50million cash as bribe to the Sokoto state Zonal Head of EFCC, Mr. Abdullahi Lawal.
It was gathered that the suspects were arrested on Monday, May 11, 2020 in Sokoto while attempting to induce member of staffs.
Their company is being investigated for alleged conspiracy; misappropriation of public funds; embezzlement; official corruption; abuse of office, stealing and money laundering obtained against the Zamfara State government through inflated and uncompleted contracts awarded to the company.
It was learnt that the Chinese allegedly offered the bribe in a desperate bid to compromise ongoing investigations of a construction company, China Zhonghao Nigeria Limited handling contracts awarded by the Zamfara State Government to the tune of N50billion (Fifty Billion Naira) between 2012 to 2019.
The EFCC, it was disclosed is investigating the construction company in connection with the execution of contracts for the construction of township roads in Gummi, Bukkuyun, Anka and Nassarawa towns of Zamfara State; and also the construction of 168 solar-powered boreholes in the 14 local government areas of the state.
Worried by the level of consistency coupled with his professionalism prowess of investigation exhibited by EFCC officials, the company was said to have reached out to Lawal, the head of the commission in Sokoto with an N100million as bribe to “bury” the matter.
In a grand design to trap the corrupt officials, Lawal played along, and on Monday, two representatives of the company Meng Wei Kun and Xu Kuoi offered him cash of N50million in their office along Airport Road, Sokoto as first installment.
As a result, the two suspects were promptly arrested with the cash as an evidence.
Investigation has so far revealed that China Zounghao Ltd has received payments of over N41billion from the Zamfara State government, out of which about N16, 000, 000, 000 equivalent of over $US53,000,000 was allegedly diverted and traced to some bureau de change operators
The Head, Media and Publicity of EFCC, Dele Oyewale added that the suspects would soon be charged to court for prosecution.
In another development, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, arraigned the duo of Victor Anasiudu and Olaoye Olanrenwaju Daniel before Justice E.A.Obile of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on five-count separate charges, bordering on conspiracy, money laundering and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N3,380,000.
The defendants were arrested by the EFCC following a petition in which it was alleged that sometime in 2019, the defendants approached their victim with a business proposal to supply them 20 pieces of tricycle (Keke NAPEP) and promised to pay him in cash which he agreed to.
The defendants with time called the victim and informed him that the money will be conveyed in a refrigerator through a vehicle coming to Port Harcourt. The victim was later called again and told that he should send N2,000,000.00 which will be used to bribe Nigerian Customs Service officers, whom they claimed were apprehended on their way to Port Harcourt which he did.
