The Okoi Obono-Obla led Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIPRPP) has arrested the Delta State Accountant General, Mr. Cyril Agbele, for allegedly amassing wealth and assets corruptly, worth over N7 billion, SaharaReporters has reliably learned.
Our correspondent learnt that following a petition of corruptly amassing wealth and assets worth over N7 billion located in Delta state, Newcastle (UK), USA and other parts of the World, Agbele was arrested Thursday morning in Asaba, the state capital by officials of the panel and taken to Abuja for questioning.
According to sources in the office of the embattled Accountant-General, he was arrested based on a series of petitions written against him over his flamboyant wealth and assets scattered all over the state and across the globe.
A source told SaharaReporters: “The state Accountant General, Mr. Cy Agbele, is richer than some state governors both in wealth and assets. CY has always amassed wealth through frivolous means, which he uses to loot the state treasury. CY has committed a lot of financial crimes that if properly investigated this time around, he will rot in jail. How many times has the EFCC arrested him over corruption and financial crimes? But he will always find his way out of the hook with his money.”
Speaking to our correspondent, an official of the panel who didn’t want his name mentioned, said the arrest of the the state Accountant General is not unconnected to his involvement in money laundering, extortion and gross abuse of his office, especially “the corrupt manner he amassed wealth and properties across board.”
“We have a petition that Mr. Cyril Agbele is pilfering funds from the state treasury using his office as the Accountant General of the state to siphons money,” the official stated.
That he has a number of companies he uses to obtain millions of naira contracts and approve funds for himself while he forced other contractor to pay him as much as 13 percent in cash as kickbacks directly to him before processing their payment even after the governor’s approval.
“The petition also alleged that the Accountant General has multimillion naira properties scattered all over Delta state, Newcastle (UK), and the USA. This includes hotels, schools, fast food joints, filling stations and countless numbers of exotic cars. That recently, some cash he stashed in a safe in excess of N500 million in local and foreign currencies where a $1,000 was carted away by his house maid, a Tiv indigene who conspired with the Accountant-General’s wife brother named Frank Ugo.”
SaharaReporters reliably learned among other things that the state Accountant General remits to his private bank accounts, VAT and taxes paid by contractors to the Federal government through him, and forgery of Delta state tax documents for politicians and contractors among others.
It was gathered that Mr. Agbele, who has been granted bail is expected back next week for more questioning where he will be charged to court at the end of investigation.
Reacting to the arrest of the Accountant General, a director in the state Ministry of Finance noted that Agbele is a billionaire who is known for corrupt and sharp practices, for conniving with some civil servants in his office to loot the state treasury.
“No civil servant in the entire Delta state since creation of the state is as wealthy as the Accountant General. That man is swimming in money. He takes his wife and children and few family members on holidays every summer season. Few years ago, the sum of $15,000 was found with his son, who is schooling in Infant Jesus {a secondary school in Asaba]. Mr. Agbele was called immediately, on arrival, he took the money back from his son immediately.”
Calls and messages put to Agbele were rebuffed but when contacted, the Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIPRPP), Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla, confirmed the arrest, saying: “Yes he was invited for questioning yesterday, (Thursday) by the panel over the allegation contained in a petition we received that he has amassed huge assets that are above his legitimate earnings as a civil servant. He was released on bail.”
