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A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, has tendered to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) an email correspondence between him and a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih.
The email, it was gathered, was admitted as an evidence in the probe linking him to N100m election funds.
A source at the EFCC told revealed that in the email dated March 2015, Anenih informed Falae that N100m had been approved by Jonathan and would be handed over to him (Falae).
The Punch quoted the source as saying: “In the email, Anenih told Chief Falae, who is the Chairman of the SDP that N100m had been approved by President Jonathan as part of the agreement between the PDP and the SDP ahead of the presidential election.
“He further urged Falae to provide an account which the money would be paid into.”
The N100m, which was given to Falae by Anenih, was said to have emanated from the imprest account of the Office of the National Security Adviser in the Central Bank of Nigeria.
It was eventually paid into the account of Marreco Limited, where Falae is chairman. The fund was credited into the company’s United Bank for Africa Plc account, 1000627022, on March 25, 2015.
A spokesman for Falae, Mr. Alfa Mohammed, confirmed that his principal had submitted all correspondence between him and the PDP.
His words:
“We had a letter of agreement between the PDP and the SDP regarding cooperation between the two parties for the election. There was an email from Anenih stating that Mr. President (Jonathan) told him to transfer the money to that effect.
“We have submitted everything to the EFCC, but the EFCC has not deemed it fit to invite Anenih which shows that it is people within the All Progressives Congress that are just trying to rubbish the image of Chief Falae, who has served meritoriously as a permanent secretary, a SGF and a finance minister.”
Mohammed said the PDP still owed the SDP about N70m and it was unrealistic of the EFCC to ask Falae to return the N100m.
He said Falae could not have known that the money emanated from the ONSA and thus could not be held liable.