The Director General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Emeka Mba, who was arrested and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since last week was Monday granted bail, Thisday reports.
Mba, who was arrested penultimate Monday, is being investigated for failing to remit N15 billion of the commission’s funds to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Thisday learnt that that the embattled DG was released around 8:40p.m.
According to the source, Mba was granted administrative bail but on strenuous conditions last Wednesday, two days after he was arrested, but was unable to fulfill the bail conditions.
A familiar source said family and friends of the DG waited at the EFCC headquarters with the hope of securing his release.
According to the source, a prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had waded into the matter and mounted pressure on the acting chairman of the anti-graft commission, Ibrahim Magu to authorise Mba’s release from detention.
Mba was arrested by EFCC operatives on Monday, January 11 for allegedly concealing N15 billion that the commission was meant to transfer to the TSA.
The arrest followed a petition against Mba and his management team, alleging that they concealed the sum from the federal government despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive that all government funds must be transferred to the account with the CBN.
Investigations revealed that the N15 billion was part of the N34 billion realised from the sale of the 700MHz spectrum band to MTN Nigeria Limited.
The money was used by the NBC to secure bank guarantees for contracts related to the manufacture of set-up boxes for the digital switchover. The bank guaranty and contracts predated the enforcement of the TSA by the Buhari administration.
