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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has started another investigation against the immediate past governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva and his wife, over allegations of money laundry amounting to N56 billion while in office as the chief executive of the oil rich state of Bayelsa.
A highly placed source at the commission at the weekend told Sunday Pilot that the operatives of the EFCC are currently investigating the embattled former governor and his wife over alleged fraud that has links with two generations banks (name withheld).
According to the source, a whopping sum of N56 billion was allegedly laundered between 2007 and 2011 through the two generations bank abroad.
Sunday Pilot recalls that the former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva had failed in his bid to repossess his international passport, as Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court; Abuja threw out his application for lack of merit.
Sylva had approach the court for the release of his passport, claiming that he needed the document to enable him travel to the United Kingdom to be with his wife, who is due to undergo a surgical procedure.
At the last sitting, his counsel told the court that the former governor had given an undertaking that as soon as he returns from overseas, he would deliver the passport back to the registrar of the court.
The defense counsel further told the court that the accused person surrendered himself voluntarily to the court in June 2012 when he was arraigned. He reminded the court that the passport was released to the accused last year to enable him travel and that upon his return, he promptly brought the said document to the court.
Prosecution counsel, John Ainetor, however, opposed the application. He asked the court to dismiss the application in the interest of justice. He said the accused did not need any medical attention personally, but only wanted to accompany his wife, who he claims needs medical attention.
The Counsel to EFCC also revealed that there were pending allegations against the accused person and his wife and that the trip was a ploy to escape the current investigation and possible trial.
Justice Bello, in his ruling, dismissed the application on the grounds that the London doctors would deal directly with accused wife and so the application lacked any urgency.
The judge also held that the letter from the London hospital was addressed to No. 38 Malbrone Avenue, London, where the wife of the accused is residing and so had no link with the former governor.
