The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has questioned the chairman and owner of Zinox Technologies Limited Leonard Stanley Ekeh and two other officials of the company over a shocking N170 million contract fraud allegation.
The Zinox boss is accused of conspiring with the other officials to hijack and illegally execute the contract awarded by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to an Ibadan-based IT firm.
Ekeh denied the allegation. He said the petitioner was trying to blackmail and extort Zinox.
“As a businessman, anybody can write a petition against you,” Ekeh said.
Investigators have unravelled details of the alleged fraud, how Citadel Oracle Concept Limited, based in Ibadan, Oyo State, lost the FIRS contract, yet discovered over a year later that the same job had been executed in its name.
Citadel Oracle said it lost the offer after it refused to pay bribe.
The EFCC took over the case after a petition was sent to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo after the police allegedly refused to charge the case to court.
Former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase was said to have preferred the matter be resolved through civil processes.
The Force Criminal Investigation Department of the police began its investigation in 2013, and arrested and detained suspects.
Years after, Mr. Arase advised in a May 14, 2015 letter that the “civil matter should be allowed to run its full course to prevent a miscarriage of justice.”
Zinox Technologies Head of Corporate Communications, Gideon Ayogu, dismissed the allegations linking his company as false and cheap blackmail.
However, Ekeh has denied any role in the case.
“The man is claiming that TD did not deliver computers to FIRS… They (EFCC) have been to FIRS and found every equipment with serial numbers. But, he said they used his company to defraud government.
That is not true. He wants to destroy me.
“He wanted me to give him money. I will not do it. Zinox has never done business with the man. FIRS confirmed they gave business to that company, and the company brought the papers to us through his agent. We have several companies we help like that.
He agreed Igbokwe has been a business partner/distributor to TD for over 15 years, but denied knowledge of the fictitious account at Access bank where the payment was lodged by FIRS.