The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has uncovered two additional fake government agencies allegedly operated by Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, who presented himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after submitting the commission’s interim report on the activities of the fake agency at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Aliyu said investigations established that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council had never been created through legislation or an executive order.
According to the interim report, the appointment letter used by Adeyemi was forged, while the PFIPC unlawfully took over offices and official instruments belonging to the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
The ICPC chairman said the fake organisation operated from the former PEAC office, where it engaged in false representation, impersonation and other unlawful activities by exploiting weaknesses in verification processes and inter-agency oversight.
He said investigators also discovered two more fake agencies, the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (PIFA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (PIPA).
> “These agencies were created using forged legislative instruments and were used to open bank accounts for illegal activities,” he said.
Aliyu further revealed that Adeyemi altered the name of the fake agency from the Foreign Investment Promotion Council to the Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and sought to broaden its mandate to include revenue generation.
He added:
> “The investigation found no funds were approved or disbursed for the fake PFIPC/PEAC, and there were no weaknesses in the State House or CBN system.”
The committee, which was given 30 days to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fake agency, recommended the prosecution of Adeyemi, administrative sanctions against public officials who allegedly aided the operation, and reforms to strengthen internal controls.
According to the ICPC, the public officials implicated in the matter are from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General, the Budget Office and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
> “The report is interim and the investigation continues to uncover more details to file criminal charges against Adeyemi and his collaborators,” he said.
Aliyu also said President Bola Tinubu has been briefed on the interim findings and has reaffirmed his commitment to transparency and accountability in addressing the matter.
