Indications are that President Muhammadu Buhari has shaken off his self-posed lethargy in handling allegations of corruption against close allies.
Buhari has reportedly ordered the Special Investigation Panel of the Nigerian Police Force to investigate his chief of staff Alhaji Abba Kyari over bribery accusations.
According to a report by Vanguard, the investigation is in connection with the supposed N500million bribery money said to have been paid to the Kyari by the officials of South African owned MTN Telecommunications Company.
The chief of staff is being alleged to have collected the bribe money in order to influence the government to discontinue its heavy position on the $5billion fine.
The source, who asked not to be named, said: “Officials of MTN, who were invited and interviewed over the allegation, have vehemently denied that any such money emanated from the telecommunication company and that since the beginning of the $5billion fine saga, nobody had been approached for bribe.
“Another thing is that if such volume of money was paid through the banks, discreet investigation of financial dealings on the part of MTN and on the part of the COS has so far not revealed any transactions of such”.
The Nigerian Communications Commission levied a $5 billion fine on MTN for failing to disconnect subscribers with unregistered phone lines bought before January 2012. Sahara Reporters recently published the report claiming that the officials of the telecommunications company gave a bribe of N500million to Abba Kyari, to interfere and use his closeness to the Nigerian leader, to force the government to give MTN a safe landing.
The government reduced the fine to $1.67 billion in circumstances that were not clear.
It comes as the telecommunications giant failed to fight the huge fine imposition, initially through the courts and later through diplomatic means. The presidency apparently worried by the accusation is said to have directed the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to probe the allegation and come out with findings regarding the accusation.
