The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has described as false and irresponsible a report by Sahara Reporters claiming that an EFCC prosecutor stepped down due to pressure to compromise the high-profile fraud case against Jesam Michael, Chief Executive Officer of Afriq Arbitrage System (AAS) Limited.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the anti-graft agency said the report, titled “EFCC Prosecutor Steps Down Amid Pressure To Compromise High-Profile Fraud Case Against International Fraudster Jesam Michael,” was “totally fabricated, unprofessional and in bad taste.”
“As an anti-corruption agency, the EFCC places high premium on the integrity of its operations and workforce,” Oyewale said. “The insinuation that a prosecutor stepped down due to pressure to compromise this case is preposterous and irresponsible.”
Oyewale clarified that one of the prosecutors handling the case, Geraldine Ofulue, recently resigned her appointment with the Commission to pursue other professional engagements, a move he stressed had nothing to do with pressure or compromise.
“To avoid any vacuum and to ensure diligent prosecution, another prosecutor, Emenike Mgbemele—who is a call mate to Ofulue—was assigned to continue with the case,” he explained.
According to the EFCC spokesperson, Ofulue handled the case against Michael meticulously and under the supervision of senior officers. “She followed every process filed before the court diligently, with no pressure or compromise of any form,” Oyewale said, noting that she presented nine witnesses and tendered several exhibits, all of which were admitted by the court.
He added that Mgbemele merely continued from where his predecessor stopped. “So far, the only matter in which Mgbemele appeared was the first defendant’s fourth application for bail, which he opposed in line with the Commission’s position,” Oyewale stated.
Oyewale further disclosed that the counter-affidavit and written address opposing the bail application were prepared and filed by Ofulue before her resignation. “Mgbemele neither added nor subtracted anything from what Ofulue filed. He simply adopted the processes, argued the case, and urged the court to refuse bail because Jesam Michael was a flight risk,” he said.
Questioning the basis of the report, Oyewale asked, “Who was pressuring Ofulue in this matter? Why should an officer’s voluntary resignation to pursue other engagements be misconstrued as ‘stepping down’?”
The EFCC reiterated that Michael and his company allegedly defrauded more than 50,000 investors through what it described as a transnational Ponzi scheme of “disturbing proportion.”
“The Commission’s efforts to bring him to book and dismantle all his shenanigans should be applauded by all well-meaning news portals,” Oyewale said. “While the EFCC will not be deterred in the pursuit of its mandate, it will not hesitate to take appropriate legal action against any entity or individual employing blackmail and deliberate misrepresentation to attack the Commission or its officers.”
