The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II has denied claims that he gave the office of the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki N40 billion in donations while he served as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Speaking on Monday, December 14, Sanusi described the report as untrue and also denied claims that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was considering summoning him for questioning with regards to the alleged disbursements, The Cable reports.
The Emir of Kano, Sanusi denied giving Dasuki money.
The Emir said: “This is completely untrue. In the first place, I understand the laws of money laundering. And it is a criminal offence. The central bank is the chief regulator charged with ensuring we put an end to money laundering.
“This is partly why we started our cashless Nigeria project and why I started the BVN project. I would never authorise that amount of cash to be moved to the office of the NSA or to anyone even if it was in their account.
“I do not know where they are getting these strange stories.”
According to him, he was removed as CBN governor in February 2014 and the EFCC is probing disbursements allegedly made in late 2014 and early 2015 before the general elections.
Sanusi said anybody linking him to the arms deal scam definitely did not bother to look at the dates of the alleged transactions.
He noted that all transactions during his tenure, took the form of clearly identified projects or specified procurement, done through well laid-down procedures.
“We did not give cash to anybody. “The total amount disbursed by the CBN on capital projects in my five years was N55 billion. And this included contracts for CBN branches and our CSR interventions mainly in the universities and secondary schools. How can anyone suggest that we gave N40 billion to ONSA?” the Emir queried.
Sanusi said the reports making round sounded like a bad dream and he is hoping to wake up and find that the CBN was not involved in the alleged arms deal scam.
He added that everyone would have to wait and see what comes out of the investigation.
Report had surfaced earlier that the anti-graft commission was commission said the other former CBN governors, along with the current governor, Godwin Emefiele, would soon be summoned to clarify their roles in the arms scandal.
The commission was said to be keen on questioning the Emir Sanusi on the different disbursement of funds to the office of the ex-national security adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), who is being charged with money laundering and diversion of public funds.
Sanusi was sacked by former president, Goodluck Jonathan for accusing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation of not sending $20 billion of oil incomes into the national treasury. He later became the Emir of Kano, following the death of the then ruling Emir.
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