By Christiana Ekpa and Ikechukwu Okaforad
The Senate committee on Anti- Corruption and Financial Crimes has blasted Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over arrest of Innocent Chukwuma , the Managing Director of Innoson Motors Nigeria Limited in December last year.
The Innoson MD was on the 19th of December last year forcefully arrested from his residence in Enugu and whisked to Lagos for interrogation over alleged financial fraud against Guaranty Trust Bank.
But the Senate’s committee during an investigative hearing on the matter on Tuesday wondered while the anti graft body allowed itself to be drafted into mere financial transaction between two corporate bodies to the point of effecting arrest without warrant.
Specifically , a member of the committee, Senator Dino Melaye ( APC Kogi West ) after putting the EFCC’s Director of Legal Services , Mr Chile Okoroma to question on whether the arrest was carried out with a warrant or not , said it was wrong for EFCC to have carried out such an arrest without a warrant.
According to him, since the substantive matter involving the three parties was already in court, the committee has no interest of cabling into that but worried on human rights violation perpetrated against the Innoson boss by the EFCC during the arrest.
The Chairman of the committee, Senator Chukwuka Utazi ( PDP Enugu North), shared the same view with senator Melaye by advising the anti graft body to be more cautious in its operations especially on matters that are largely civil and not criminal in nature.
Earlier , the legal counsel of Innoson, Professor McCarthy Mbadiugha alleged that it was GTB owing Innoson to the tune of N20billion now and not Innoson owing it N600million as alleged from loan of N2.4 billion collected in 2011.
The GTB lawyer , Adebowale Kamoru in his own submission said since all matters relating to the banks transaction with Innoson and involvement of the EFCC are being litigated upon in the court of law, the bank will not make any submission .
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