The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has launched investigations into the Senior Special Assistant to the Bayelsa State Governor on Millennium Development Goals, Apere Embelakpo, and his wife, Fiene Beauty for an alleged N1bn fraud.
The spokesperson for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement that Embelakpo is being investigated over an alleged diversion of N800m being funds meant for the MDGs while his wife is being investigated for an alleged money laundering, forgery and suspicious transactions to the tune of N200m.
The EFCC spokesman, however, revealed that one Abednego Don-Evarada who is a former Senior Special Assistant on Media to Governor Seriake Dickson, approached the EFCC with N10m to bribe the EFCC’s Zonal Head in Port Harcourt, Mr Ishaq Salihu, to thwart the case.
The statement read in part, “Embelakpo is being investigated for the alleged diversion of N800m being funds meant for the MDGs while his wife is being investigated for alleged money laundering, forgery and suspicious transactions to the tune of N200m.
“Don- Evarada allegedly offered the bribe to compromise the EFCC investigation but his overture was turned down and was arrested. He is being kept in the custody of the EFCC and would be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.”