The Justice Ayo Salami-led panel set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the suspended acting Chairman of tre Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu has submitted an interim report to the President.
It was revealed that the report submitted to the President recommended the sacking of Magu.
A top police source who spoke on the condition of anonymity with Punch noted that although the panel is still probing Magu, testimonies and documents from witnesses so far are enough to make it recommend the removal of the suspended EFCC boss.
Magu’s lawyer, Wahab Shittu, in his reaction to the report, noted that the Justice Salami panel has informed him that no such report had been submitted to the President.
Shittu further stated that Magu is yet to open his defence and that it would be unjust for the panel to recommend his sacking.
He said, “I don’t understand why we should be talking about a reaction to something that is blatantly falsehood. First, the panel is still calling witnesses. Two witnesses appeared before the panel today. So, if there were ongoing proceedings on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and the panel has adjourned till Monday, if witnesses are still being taken and interrogated, and documents are still being submitted, what that should suggest to you is that proceedings are ongoing and have not been concluded. Does it (then) make sense for a report to be submitted?”
He noted that even the report was submitted to the president, it will be wrong not to hear from Magu.
Shittu added, “Ibrahim Magu, my client, has not opened his defence and the panel has repeatedly indicated that he would be allowed to defend himself only after witnesses have been exhausted. So, somebody who has yet to defend allegations against him, can he be indicted?
“Whether interim or final, you cannot issue the report without listening to all the witnesses and then take the defence. My reaction is that the story is planted by mischief makers. A similar falsehood was published by a newspaper and I confronted the panel yesterday (Thursday) and the chairman said how could they have issued such a report when they haven’t formally served him with the allegations and he told me to disregard the report.”
