EFCC fraud case predates Nami’s appointment – FIRS

The Federal Inland Revenue Service says the case involving some ex-directors of the agency predates the present management headed by Muhammad Nami.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has commenced the hearing of a case of fraud involving some ex-directors and some members of staff of the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

The members of staff are answering charges concerning embezzlement of the duty tour allowances approved by the erstwhile management.

They were arraigned on a 42 counts bordering on corruption, fraud and criminal misappropriation of funds punishable under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended in 2012).

The trial followed a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission about the alleged fraudulent practices, which the accused allegedly committed between 2017 and 2018.

The court on Wednesday fixed the trial date for the case for September 28, 2021.

The alleged violation took place between January 2017 and December 2018.

On assumption of office by the new management, the board of the agency directed it to take the matter before the staff and management disciplinary committee to deal with the situation.

In line with this directive, the Human Capital Management Department of the FIRS investigated the matter and thereafter queried the concerned members of staff to give the serving officers a fair hearing.

The FIRS has reportedly completed the internal administrative processes as provided in its Human Resources Policies handbook in relation to the officers still in service.

The outcome of this procedure has been put on hold pending the ongoing court process.

A statement on Wednesday by the spokesman for the Service, Dr Abdullahi Ahmad, said, “The management of FIRS wishes to appeal to esteemed taxpayers and stakeholders to continue to have confidence in its capacity to deal with internal issues while not also lose sight of its mandate of generating tax revenue for the government.”