The federal government has claimed that former vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar will be questioned over the collapsed of the defunct Platinum Habeeb Bank.
Minister of information and culture, Alh Lai Mohammed stated this on Friday in Abuja while briefing the state house correspondents.
The information minister reportedly explained that the federal government took the decision to question Atiku “following fresh evidence that he benefitted from slush funds that led to the collapse of Bank PHB.” He said the government has in its position “paper trail which shows that he benefitted from N156 million.”
“It started from an internal memo dated 13 January 2009 asking that a draft in favour of Atiku Abubakar of 156 million should be raised,” he said.
Mohammed also said another memo on the same date was raised to confirm that the amount was raised from a “claimant management account.”
He said the government has proof of the account mandate, cheque and account statement showing Atiku as the signatory to the account that received the money.
“We want him to stay in the US for as long as he wants but he has to explain to Nigerians when he returns,” he said.
Commenting on the visit of the former vice president to the US, the minister said the government had earlier issued a statement advising the US not to issue him a visa.
He, however, said it remains the prerogative of the US government to issue visa to anyone.
Mohammed said: “We are not perturbed one bit. He can go ahead and get a US green card. That will not save him from imminent defeat in the forthcoming election.”
He also said the “election will be held here not in the US.”
The minister, however, said the former vice president may not be arrested upon his return.
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