The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Uyi Giwa-Osagie, a lawyer to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.
Mr Giwa-Osagie, 51, was arrested at his office on Monday for allegedly laundering $2million after he was implicated by a bureau de change operator identified as Abdullahi Usman.
Usman, who owns Hasbunallahu BDC LTD, was reportedly caught travelling with the money by air from Abuja to Lagos.
The Nation quoted an EFCC source as saying: “A BDC operator was intercepted for shipping $2million from Abuja to Lagos for suspected money laundering.
“Upon interception by our detectives, the BDC operator admitted that Uyi Giwa-Osagie actually paid the Naira equivalent of $4million into his account in exchange for hard currency.
“We invited Uyi for interrogation on Monday and Tuesday. Our detectives have also conducted a search of his home. Some useful documents were retrieved. Investigation is, however, still in progress.”
“Apart from documents relating to posh properties at home and abroad, a copy of the EFCC Investigation Report on Atiku’s relationship with a jailed U.S. lawmaker, Williams Jefferson, was retrieved from Uyi.
“An analysis of the account indicated that it yielded over $30million deposits mostly from a firm with a link with the PDP candidate.”
The EFCC has not officially confirmed Giwa-Osagie’s arrest.
