The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has recommended the prosecution of Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-proclaimed Director-General of the fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, PFIPC, over alleged forgery, impersonation and related offences.
The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, disclosed this on Thursday after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, exactly 30 days after the President ordered an investigation into the alleged fictitious organization.
Aliyu submitted an interim report to the President, with preliminary findings showing that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that PFIPC was not established by any law, executive order or valid government instrument.
“Following the interim report, it has been established that Adeniyi Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government or any authority of government,” he said.
According to the ICPC chairman, the purported appointment letter, gazette and other documents allegedly used to establish the existence of the organization were forged.
“The appointment letter presented by Adeyemi was completely forged alongside similar documents used to perpetuate the illegal activities of the fake agency,” he said.
Aliyu said the investigation also found that PFIPC unlawfully appropriated the identity and office facilities of the former Presidential Economic Advisory Council, PEAC.
He alleged that the office was accessed after its locks were broken, allowing the suspect to operate from the premises.
The ICPC chairman said the investigation further uncovered alleged widespread impersonation and false representation carried out through the purported agency.
He disclosed that the commission identified two additional fictitious agencies allegedly created by Adeyemi to facilitate and expand the scheme. The agencies are the FCT and Foreign Investment Promotion Agency, and Public Private Partnership.
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Aliyu said the suspect allegedly used forged legislative instruments to support the creation of the agencies and open bank accounts for their operations. He, however, clarified that no Federal Government funds were approved or disbursed to PFIPC or its operators.
“Our investigation found that no funds of the Federal Government were approved or disbursed to the fake PFIPC/PEAC,” he said.
The ICPC chairman also said the commission found no evidence that the purported appointment letter originated from the Presidency.
He noted that weaknesses in verification procedures and inter-agency oversight created opportunities that were allegedly exploited by Adeyemi and his collaborators.
Aliyu said the commission recommended administrative sanctions against public officials whose actions, omissions or negligence facilitated the operations of the purported organization.
He added that institutional reforms had also been proposed to strengthen internal controls across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
“Adeniyi Adeyemi should be prosecuted, while administrative sanctions should be imposed on public officers whose acts of commission, omission and negligence facilitated the illegal operation of PFIPC/PEAC,” he said.
Aliyu said the investigation was ongoing to identify other collaborators and gather additional evidence before criminal charges were filed.
“We have continued with the investigation of the activities of Mr Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and his collaborators so that we can unravel more and file criminal charges that can stand the test of time,” he said.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said the president would review the report and consult further with the Attorney-General of the Federation before taking action.
Dare added that relevant agencies, including law enforcement authorities, would continue their investigations to ensure that the matter was comprehensively resolved.
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