Capital market probe: EFCC quizzes Hembe, three others

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Capital Market and Other Institutions, Mr. Herman Hembe and three other members were on Friday in Abuja quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Although the details of the interrogation were still sketchy at the time of filing this report, http://news-and-entertainment.blogspot.com

 learnt that the committee members were being interrogated in connection with the N44m bribery allegation made against Hembe by the embattled Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Ms. Arunmah Oteh and Hembe’s subsequent response that it was SEC that offered to donate N30m to his committee. When our correspondent visited the commission’s headquarters at about 3:30 pm on Friday, it was learnt that Hembe and his team were “making useful statements” that would assist the anti-graft agency in its investigation into the case. A source said, “The leadership of the House of Representatives Committee on Capital Market is currently with us.

“The chairman and three other key members of the committee came at about 10 am and they are still with our team of investigators. After this stage, we may likely invite other members of the committee, depending on what they say.”

When contacted, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, was evasive and neither confirmed nor deny the quizzing of the legislators.

THE  had reported http://news-and-entertainment.blogspot.com  that the EFCC was intensifying investigation on the alleged scam currently rocking the public hearing on the activities of SEC by the House committee.

The commission had confirmed that its operatives were gathering documents and oral evidence that could be useful in unravelling the corruption allegation between the DG of SEC and Hembe.

During the hearing, Oteh had told a stunned audience that the committee demanded gratification in the days preceding the hearing.

Oteh had said that the committee demanded N39m from SEC to fund the hearing and that the chairman of the committee, Hembe, had asked for N5m from her 24 hours before the hearing.