The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have commenced investigations into the various alleged illegal oil deals and other Turn Around Maintainance (TAM) projects initiated under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to sources, the investigation is already tracking the alleged oil corrupt proceeds linked to the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva and his cronies.
Sylva, according to findings, has been allegedly linked to various fuel subsidy racketeering and Turn Around Maintenance of the refineries.
Sources close to Sylva, however, said though he has not been officially invited by the anti-graft commission, he may have become apprehensive over possible invitation and detention which may tarnish his governorship ambition.
Sources say that despite attempts to wave aside the accusations, the preliminary checks by the anti-graft agency is at the advanced stage to establish Sylva’s culpability in the various deals, most of which he undertook through an identified proxy.
Sylva is also been linked with cases of alleged bribery, fraud and corruption in the awarding of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7 Contract in joint venture led by Italy’s Saipem in the amount of $4 billion USD for engineering, procurement and construction of Nigeria LNG’s seventh production unit at its Bonny Island plant in Rivers state.
The allege deal was a subject of litigation before a United States Federal Court Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Joseph Lesson,Jnr.
He is also being linked to an inflated N3billion internal road projects in his home state of Bayelsa particularly Brass Local Government Area, to which no significant job has been done.
Sources within the anti-graft commission, said though there are alleged power play by some politicians over the possible outcome of the investigation, “the anticipated invitation would be for Sylva to come and throw more light on some of these deals.”
Attempts to get through to the spokesperson of the EFCC, Wilson Uwajaren proved abortive as calls to his phone remain unanswered.
But a source told our correspondent that ” such cases are closely guided if they are being conducted and it will take express approval of top echelon of the agency for invitation and arrest.”
