The House of Representatives has spoken out about the alleged involvement of suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari in the Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, commonly known as Hushpuppi fraud case.
The House said Kyari will remain its honouree until he is found guilty of the allegations against him by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States.
WITHIN NIGERIA had reported that the United States Department of Justice had said ongoing investigations showed that Hushpuppi allegedly bribed Kyari to arrest one Kelly Chibuzo Vincent, one of his accomplices in Nigeria.
In a court document released by the United States Department of Justice on Wednesday, titled: ‘Six Indicted in International Scheme to Defraud Qatari School Founder and then Launder over $1 Million in Illicit Proceeds’, Kyari was said to have been bribed to arrest one Kelly Chibuzor Vincent, 40, in Nigeria, who created bogus documents and arranged for the creation of a fake bank website and phone banking line to support the defrauding of a business person trying to provide $1.1m for the funding of a school in Qatar.
Recall that the embattled ‘super cop’ Kyari was honoured by the House on June 11, 2020 for his exceptional service to the Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria.
Kyari was invited into the chamber to appear before the lawmakers in plenary.
The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, had paid tribute in glowing terms to the police officer, whom he described as an intelligent man.
Gbajabiamila said, “We have with us an officer and a gentleman. We have with us in the chamber today a man that has proved himself to be worthy of the highest commendation; the man who has spent the latter years of his life, at least in the last 20 years, serving the people of Nigeria.
“Many of us may have heard of him; many of us may have seen him. But today, the House of Representatives, in its wisdom and having followed his career over the years, and witnessed on a daily and yearly basis how he put his life on the line for our great country, has deemed it worthy to commend and to honour him.”
Speaking on the honour bestowed on Kyari, after being named in the scandal, the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu, said the DCP was still innocent until proved guilty.
Kalu said, “The position of our law is that you are innocent until you are proved guilty. It is not the only award that he has. We cannot begin to strip him of his award; he is a suspect at the moment. Lawmakers are not lawbreakers.
“The constitution says you are innocent until proved guilty. But if at the end of the day, he is convicted, then the House would have a reason to review its position. But at the moment, he is still under investigation.”