“The records of the company’s earnings are there. There is also an entitlement he is due to receive as a shareholder of the company. You see, that is by the way. Like I said, it’s not about the money. It’s about doing things the right way, which is why he is saying, let me come out. Let me blow the whistle on what’s going on. If he didn’t do that now, later, when the issue is exposed, he would be counted as one of the perpetrators. He doesn’t want to be seen that way. That’s the major thing,” the lawyer stated.
On the motive for Apara’s decision to publicise his allegations, his lawyer insisted that the revelations were made in good faith and not out of any grievances.
Adegboyega said, “There’s no issue of grievance here. He is a whistle-blower.”
Meanwhile, EFCC has acknowledged receipt of the petition written against Alpha Beta by Apara. It stated that it was under going processing and evaluation just like other petitions before deciding the next step.
Apara had accused the company of tax fraud allegedly amounting to N160 billion. In a petition to the EFCC, Apara claimed Alpha Beta, the firm with exclusive rights to monitor and collect internally generated revenue on behalf of the Lagos State “had been involved in fraud and money laundering.”
The petition read in part: “Over the years the company has been protected and shielded by some powerful politicians and people in the society which made them to always boast of being untouchable, but our client, feeling the need not to keep quiet again and strengthened by his belief in the fact that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is keen on fighting corruption, which has been the bane of our country, is of the firm belief that it’s time to expose and open the can of worms called Alpha Beta Consulting.”
In a series of tweets, Apara had called on the EFCC to carry out “a simple investigation”, saying that will reveal the fraud being perpetrated by the company.
According to documents sighted by THISDAY, the petition was written in July this year.
“The EFCC investigation should be simple and straight forward. Not rocket science. Alpha Beta has been IGR consultants to the Lagos State Government since 2002, earning about 10 per cent and has generated IGR of about N1.5tn (yes trillion), excluding FAAC and loans,” the petition stated.
