On February 20, 2020, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission published a press release announcing the arrest and expected prosecution of Mohammed Audu for allegedly siphoning off “several million US dollars and billions of naira” donated to the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).
The EFCC further alleged that Mr. Audu diverted the funds for his personal use through his companies, Mediterranean Hotels Limited and Mediterranean Sports.
However, new findings from PREMIUM TIMES showed that the anti-corruption agency misled the public on the matter, as the agency currently has no case against Mr. Audu.
This newspaper found that after the statement was issued, the EFCC questioned Mr. Audu but did not establish any wrongdoing against him and his businesses. The anti-corruption agency did not issue an indictment or charge him.
Sources inside the agency said that after the officers questioned him and cleared him as having no case to answer, Mr. Audu asked the EFCC to issue a public statement indicating that the published accusations against him were not true. The businessman had argued that the initial statement about his arrest was damaging his reputation and his business.
However, the anti-corruption agency has not yet issued such a statement.
Seizing the opportunity of the NFF probe
At the time Mr Audu was smeared, the EFCC was investigating Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) officials for allegations of embezzlement of sponsorship funds. The investigation was triggered by a request that agents later determined was without merit.
One of the sponsors, Aiteo, had retained Mr. Audu’s company, Mediterranean Sports, as the agent through which the sponsorship funds were routed through Bismark Rewane’s Financial Derivatives to the NFF.
It was based on his involvement in the sports agency company that he was invited by the EFCC and publicly shamed for alleged fraud. But neither he nor the company were ever prosecuted or charged.
PREMIUM TIMES understands that Mr. Audu’s repeated pleas to the EFCC to issue another statement to clear his name have yet to be considered.
EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren did not return repeated calls or respond to a text message requesting comment for this report.
This outlet also wrote to the agency seeking an update on Mr. Audu’s case. There was no response after our letter despite repeated reminders.
Meanwhile, the Federal High Court in Abuja has since 2019 acquitted all NFF officials indicted by the Federal Ministry of Justice on the sponsorship deals allegations.
The court based its verdict on the prosecution’s withdrawal of the charges after the April 2019 Presidential Special Investigation Panel report that cleared officials of the NFF and its partners, including Audu’s Mediterranean Sports.
The EFCC’s investigation of the NFF was based on the same issues of alleged misappropriation of sponsorship funds that the court judged. Following the court ruling, the EFCC closed its investigation.
However, Mr. Audu’s request that the anti-corruption agency issue a public statement exempting him and his companies from any wrongdoing has not been met, authorities said.
