As agitations by civil society groups on fraud cases levelled against the suspended Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mounir Gwarzo, continued to gather momentum, another civil society group, the Concerned Industry Watchers, recently petitioned President Buhari to use his good offices to ensure that all cases against him are pursued with renewed vigour to ensure justice.
The group’s demand came barely 24 hours after the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to commence thorough prosecution of the suspended SEC boss over fraudulent allegations leveled against him.
The Concerned Industry Watchers, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Abdullahi Idoto,
urged President Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, direct the ICPC to charge Gwarzo on abuse of office by the award of contracts to his companies as well as being a director in the said companies.
The group recalled that the suspended Director General breached public service rules by using his position to abuse the due process in contract awards in the Commission and awarding various contracts to his companies and other cronies as well as paying substantial sums to himself as severance packages when still serving in office.
Specifically, it noted that Mr Gwarzo used his office to award contracts to Outbound Investment Limited; Northwind Environmental Services Limited; Medusa Investments Limited; Acromac Nigeria Limited and Balfort International Investment Limited all of which he had interests in as a Director while his wife, Khadija and another relative are Directors in Medusa Investments Limited .
The civil society group stated that up until the time of his suspension as Director General of SEC, Gwarzo solely contracted Outbound Investment Ltd as the sole supplier of diesel to the Commission while also supplying air conditioners, fridges and involved in several other contracts.