Two indicted for padding Buhari’s presidential pardon list

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) has allegedly indicted two officials of the Federal Ministry of Justice for padding the list of convicts granted state pardon.

The two indicted persons, namely Emmanuel Fan and Lawrence Marinus, reportedly took bribes a convicted banker Francis Atuche among the 159 jailed persons President Muhammadu Buhari granted state pardon.

The said officials are members of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM).

Abubakar Malami, the minister of justice and attorney-general of the federation, heads the committee. Malami had written to the EFCC, urging it to investigate the Atuche’s inclusion in the list.

According to the EFCC report, cited by PREMIUM TIMES, the EFCC said that its investigation “revealed that Emmanuel Ishaku Fan conspired with Lawrence Marinus to include the name of Francis Atuche in the final report of PACPM submitted to Mr President and the Council of State for consideration and ratification.”

“The investigation has also established that Lawrence Minus received money from both Emmanuel Ishaku Fan and a yet-to-be-verified agent of Francis Atuche to perfect the plan, while Emmanuel Ishaku Fan is in direct contact with the so-called agent of Mr Francis Atuche,” the report said.

At the same time, one of the indicted officials, Fan, has reacted to his alleged indictment.

“I am not aware of my indictment by the EFCC. I know nothing about the allegation,” he said upon the newspaper’s request for his comment.

Atuche is a former managing director of Bank PHB. He is serving a six years sentence for stealing N27billion belonging to the bank.