Businessman Tells Reps He Paid N400m For PFIPC Contract

A businessman has told a House of Representatives committee that he paid N400m while pursuing a contract linked to the disputed Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.

The testimony adds a new money trail to the PFIPC probe. Premium Times reported that the witness, Emmanuel Ibezim, told lawmakers he made the payment as part of a process connected to a purported contract and believed it would show he had the capacity to handle the project.

The committee is probing the activities of the alleged agency and the people said to have acted under its name. Vanguard separately reported that the panel planned to interrogate the alleged PFIPC director-general, adding that the venue and date would not be disclosed publicly.

The House committee is chaired by Yusuf Adamu Gagdi. The probe has already drawn attention because the PFIPC name has been linked to claims of government-backed investment promotion, even as questions remain over its legal status and who authorised its activities.

Lawmakers are expected to use the testimony and further questioning to trace who received money, what documents were issued and whether any public officials were involved.

Sources: Premium Times, Vanguard