Vice President Yemi Osinbajo used Olukoyede Olanipekun, the now-suspended Executive Secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to stop a petition seeking a probe of over N100billion tax fraud and money laundering proffered against Apha Beta Consulting, linked to National Leader of the All Progressive Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu., investigations have revealed.
In 2018, Mr. Dapo Apara, a former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer Alpha Beta Consulting in a petition to the EFCC said the company had “become an avenue for official corruption of government officials, a conduit pipe for massive money-laundering scheme, tax evasion, among other vices”.
In the petition, sent on his behalf by his solicitors, Adetunji Adegboyega, Apara noted that Alpha Beta had ” over the years been protected and shielded by some powerful politicians and people in the society which made them to always boast of being untouchable.”
Continued the petition, “But our client, feeling the need not to keep quiet again and strengthened by his belief in the fact that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is keen on fighting corruption, which has been the bane of our country, is of the firm belief that it’s time to expose and open the can of worms called ALPHABETA CONSULTING.”
Sources at the EFCC have now confirmed to Pointblanknews.com that Apara’s petition was killed following a directive from VP Osinbajo to Olanipekun, the embattled former Executive Secretary of the EFCC.
According to the commission’s sources, once the petition reached the anti-graft agency, unknown to the former Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, operatives started preparing grounds for the probe of the N100 billion tax scandal.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that few days before operatives were to take the matter to court, it came to Olanipekun’s notice, prompting him to call for the file. After going through the file, the sources told Pointblanknews.com, the now suspended EFCC scribe conferred with Magu. Thereafter, they decided to “kill” the petition and stop further moves to probe Alpha Beta Consulting.
“Magu vowed he would never probe that matter. He did not mince words. He meant it and never reneged. He was bent on not having us move forward with that matter,” an EFCC operative who would not want to be mentioned, told Pointblanknews.com.
Sources confirmed to Pointblanknews.com that in 2006, Magu had arrested and detained the MD/CEO of Alpha Beta Consulting and another official of the company in Lagos.
The two top officials of the company were later released and assured they would no longer be bothered by the EFCC. “Since then, the EFCC has always looked the other way when it comes to Apha Beta,” an EFCC source said.
Pointblanknews.com learned that it was in 2006 that Magu, Tinubu and Osinbajo struck the deal to keep Alpha Beta out of any probe.
According to Pointblanknews.com sources, once Osinbajo became the Vice President, he nominated Olanipekun, who had worked in his law firm, as Chief of Staff to Ibrahim Magu.
Olanipekun who later assumed office as the Executive Secretary of the EFCC, was specifically foisted on the anti-graft agency to protect the interests of Tinubu, Osinbajo and their associates.
According to another EFCC source, it was Olanipekun who also stopped a petition seeking to probe former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Babatunde Fowler, and the N2 billion he allegedly gave Osinbajo in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.
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